Make It Even
by rei-blaze
Summary: AU. Zoning out during her class. Stumbling on the ground during soccer practice. People thinking she was crazy. Karin put all the blame on him — though, the guy didn't even know what he had done. Still, Karin thought it was unjust, so she decided to make it fair between the two of them. Too bad, her idea of getting even just made everything worse. Or, was it better?
1. His Entire Fault

**Uhm. Hello? Heh. Nothing much to say. Just read and review, I guess? ^^**

**Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo.**

* * *

CHAPTER 1

Since when did it happen? Since when did she start having her mind roam aimlessly about it, or to be more exact, about him? While she's not the kind of person who will have her time consumed on those dreamlike musings that she considered trite, it seems that, in the past few days, it inevitably changed.

Snow-colored, unruly locks. Sea green pair of orbs. An odd combination. Yet, for someone like him, it seems that even the weirdest features can be turned markedly into most attractive characteristics.

Refined actions, unornated style, and even with the simplicity, he can still carry himself with so much charm.

Icy personality. Rare words. Maybe, they're right when they said that cold persons are usually the ones who can set others on fire. But... He's not exactly that kind of cold person, now is he? That person is actually...

"Kurosaki-san?"

"Eh?" For being forth from reality, the one who was called wasn't already able to process any better words to respond.

Deep gray eyes blinked, when the vague image of an attractive high school guy with unusual hair and eye color suddenly changed into a more distinct form of a young woman with her blonde hair neatly tied up, and beautiful face set into a frown. But, neither anger nor irritation was interpreted on her features. If anything, it was, actually, concern which was visible on those hazel eyes.

The other party let her gaze wander on her current surroundings. It was no longer blur like the one she had, just a few minutes previous. Everything was crystal clear, and seems to be tangible. And instead of a single, certain person, there were numbers of them whose heads were turned to her, and their too familiar faces spoke different kind of expressions. Though, the way their eyes were locked on her, she could tell that all of them were waiting for her to say something. Her vision stopped straight ahead where a green, rectangular surface hang firmly. An array of numbers, letters and symbols were written on it. And, that's it! She was no more on her earlier virtual world.

Realizing what she had done, that was, daydreaming on her Math Class, the raven-haired girl, who unintentionally brought the whole class' attention on her, turned her eyes back to the woman who withdrew her from the dreamland.

"Kurosaki-san?"The said woman called her again, giving away a worried tone.

"Y-yes, Sawada-sensei!" Kurosaki Karin, now fully present-minded, let her teacher know that she already had her full attention. "Pardon, Sensei. I wasn't able to catch what you said, earlier," she, awkwardly, admitted in a low volume. She wasn't terrified. Not a little bit. Not to mention that the teacher she was dealing with at the time is far from being terrifying. But, even if it wasn't her math teacher, there was still no way that Karin would be terrified. Because, that is very unlike her.

Kurosaki Karin, a high school junior, had somehow built a name in the whole Karakura High. She's one of the well-known girls on her school. No, she's not one of those usual campus princesses whose school life only revolve on applying cosmetics in every part of their well-being and wearing flashy accessories together with their personally customized uniforms just to draw the school population's attention. In fact, Karin is the exact opposite. She may be a sweetheart in the matters of physical appearance but people, who have the practical understanding of her factual character, are fully aware that her outer surface is not a giveaway of her inner attribution. In the rear of those lovely lineaments of her face and her perfect contours, you'll find a fiery, sarcastic, young woman who can beat the crap out of anyone, should they do anything that she labeled stupid. Simply put, messing with her is a grave mistake that no one will consider to repeat. Ever again.

"You have been spacing out during the whole discussion. I hope it is not because of your personal problems."

In spite of her actively hostile attitude towards people who, deliberately or not, make ways to get into her nerve, Karin still knows to hold herself in a proper way, as determined by the circumstances that she's in.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, again, knowing to herself that she didn't have any excuse. Or, at least, she didn't want them to know. Shaking her head to negate her teacher's assumption, "No troubles, sensei," she assured.

"If you are positive about that." Sawada offered her a kind smile, then proceeded to take her place back in front of the class. She pulled the chair and sat, but not before looking back at Karin.

"And, Kurosaki-san, don't think too much about him. I'm sure he loves you, too." Her voice was a mix of her natural sweetness and the playfulness of her teasing. It was just suppose to be a pure joke, since everyone knows that the raven-haired beauty had never show any romantic interest to any guy. But, what the older woman didn't know was that she was actually able to hit a right point.

"S-sensei, I'm not thinking about anyone else!" Karin snapped, not even realizing that her words were incongruous with the whole truth. "Let alone, a romance-related one!"

The blonde-haired mentor stifled a giggle. "Yes, of course. I'm just kidding, no need to be defensive about it."

Karin's face heated up slightly, whether from annoyance or embarrassment. Even her classmates were amused at her reaction, and some of them weren't able to help their wild snickering, and only stopped when the subject of their short entertainment glared at them.

Sighing in an attempt to cool down herself, Karin rested her right elbow on her desk and cradled her face with her hand. She looked out through the window near her seat, and the wrinkling of her fine brows crept on her beautiful face at the thought of 'him'.

Again.

"It's all his fault," she muttered, audible enough for the guy, sitting in front of her, to hear and to give her that odd look.

But, it was no match at the fixed, annoyed stare that Karin returned to him and made him look away immediately and pretend that he didn't hear anything.

* * *

If there's something that made Karin known to the other students, it is definitely her skills on soccer. It's exceptional, quite literally, since she is the very first and only female to become a regular member of the Karakura Soccer Club. The only rose among the thorns, as they always say. Every time she is playing, all her senses necessary for the game are centered only on the four corners of the soccer field and those which are within the area. In her personal record, nothing had been able to break her attentiveness on every game she played.

That is, until now.

The Karakura Soccer Team was having their usual after school practice. Karin was running towards the goal, maneuvering the soccer ball on her feet, when she saw him. Yes, him. The same person she hold responsible for what happened on her Math class earlier. The student council president, top student and known as the boy genius. The school's pride, who was not only admired intelligent-wise. The guy who has his own fan base, in and out of the school. The school prince himself, Hitsugaya Toushirou.

Unlike earlier, the boy in question was in actuality, and not only a mere imagination of her. He was passing on the school's pathway near the soccer field. There was really nothing special about his actions, but being him, a simple movement still gave him an air of elitism, which was just in accordance with his position as a student leader. Dressed in his normal school uniform, one hand shoved on his pocket, while the other was busy adjusting the strap of his sling bag, his casual gestures didn't go against his regal appearance. Most of the female students, also known as his fan girls, were all flashing their oh-so-friendly, or maybe flirty, smile at him, and some were even practically begging for his attention with their sugar-coated greetings.

"Good afternoon, Hitsugaya-senpai!"

"Hello, Prez!"

"Have a good day, Toushirou-sama!"

He would nod at them, but the emotion wasn't present. Being the obsessed fans they are, though, that insignificant acknowledgement would already made them squeal in delight. Karin wondered if he was just naturally oblivious to their real intentions and the fact that they looked like they were having a hard time holding back themselves from jumping at him, or he was just really good at caring less on those things.

Bitterness aroused within because of that scene playing before her eyes. However, she was incognizant about the feeling. Or perhaps, just in denial.

"Bitches." She expressed quietly in a scornful derision, while her current situation already forgotten. Until...

"Kurosaki!"

... but the warning was too late, as she found herself kissing the ground, and the ball rolling away from her. A deep, inarticulate sound escaped from her, when she was finally able to comprehend what happened. Sitting up to look at the person who got her to trip, she found a guy with a chocolate brown hair and just an inch taller to her, with a surprise look on his face.

"Karin-san, a-are you alright! Sorry! I didn't mean to do that!"

Karin looked at him incredulously, then sighed.

"Seriously, Yuji. Why would you be apologizing? We're on the game, and it was not as if what you had done is against the rule." Her tone was passive, as if she didn't just stumble on the ground.

Understanding that she was right, the boy walked to her and offered his hand to help her up.

"Right. Maybe, I wasn't just expecting that simple move to get you. I mean, you know?" He tugged her up after she took his hand.

Karin dusted her shorts. "Uh.." came her only reply since she didn't have any other words to explain herself.

Unfortunately for her, it looked like her other team mates also didn't look forward for that to happen, and they were not going to let that incident slip without her making it plain to them.

"My, my, Karin. Is there something troubling you? You seemed to be out of yourself." A tall, red-haired guy asked her, while scratching the back of his head.

She sighed, yet again, when she noticed that the game momentarily stopped just because of her earlier mistake.

"I am alright, captain." She raised an inquiring eyebrow at her team mates, who all paused and were looking at her with the expressions of disbelief.

"Really, why are you all looking at me like that? I just lost my concentration for a while. That's not a big deal!"

"That's exactly the point, Kurosaki. You never lost your concentration when you're on the game." Heita Toujoin, one of Karin's buddies since grade school, butted in. "Like what Captain Renji asked, is there something troubling you? Or could it be..." he trailed off, as if contemplating if he should still continue. "...could Sawada-sensei be right? You are thinking about a guy? Are you in a condition of being lovesick, Kurosaki?" He didn't even bother to filter his mouth from those questions, though knowing fully that it will get her annoyed. Being in the same class with her earlier, it was actually a surprise for him to see Karin not paying attention on where she was suppose be, not only once, but twice. If it wasn't something really serious, then what could it possibly be?

Karin gave him a sharp, death stare, but it didn't really help.

Kurosaki Karin, plus a guy, plus lovesick. Three things which were unlikely to put together. So to hear that Karin Kurosaki is lovesick over a guy was already enough reason to pique her team mates' interest.

"I told you, I am alright! And, what are you all doing slacking off! We are having a practice game!" She looked at their team captain to get him accede with her, but her hopes fell when she saw that mischievous grin of the read-head.

"Oh, so our dear Karin is in-love. Interesting." Abarai Renji, the soccer team captain, said completely ignoring her protests and forgetting their practice.

Karin gritted her teeth, she didn't like it at all. "Not you, too, captain," she hissed.

"Who could it possibly be?" Renji pushed further, not caring about Karin's annoyed expression.

"Is it Yuji? Hikaru? Heita? Hmm. Or could it be... Oh! Hell! Are you in love with me? Or maybe..."

"Cut it, captain! He's not a member of this team! Damn it!"

With that outburst, time seemed to freeze. Different reactions were obtained from the players. Shock. Disbelief. Most of them are gaping. The team captain smirked wildly. While Karin was wondering what she had done now.

Then it came to her. Her eyes widened. Her face rosy tinted. Oh, gods. She didn't just...

No, that was an inadvertent admission. There was really nothing to admit, in the first place. But, is there any other way to clear it out to them?

Oh, someone, just kill her now!

* * *

"Stupid hotshot. With stupid hair and his stupid eyes."

Karin vehemently spoke in whisper, not minding the weird looks that people on the street were throwing at her. She was just grateful that her team mates didn't know anything about him, save from the information that he is not a member of their team like what she unintentionally gave in during their practice. She stopped mid-ranting, and looked up at the sign board of one of the department structures lined up.

Chappy Ice Cream Shop. At the end of those words found a weird looking white bunny which was like a ten-year-old's creation.

Karin merely raised her eyebrow at that oddness, but then thought that she needed to cool down herself since this day had never been kind to her. She entered, silently wishing that the flavors they offer were not as weird as the name of the shop and its mascot sign.

There were quiet a number of customers inside. And as she looked at board wherein the flavors were written, she noted that their ice creams were all rather normal.

"Can I have a Strawberry one, with Fudge covered waffle cone pieces and caramel swirl?" she asked the selling staff.

As she was waiting for it, a thought of him came again. She snorted. Stupid smartass and his stupid pretty face. She stopped on her unentertaining musings and frowned.

"Who said his face is pretty?" she asked herself but failed to just keep it on her thoughts.

Hearing her spoke, a male staff of the shop looked at her but then realized that she was not really talking to anyone else. The guy turned to look at his co-worker beside him in question, but the other just shrugged, not also sure of what was that all about, and undertook to give Karin's ice cream, instead. Karin thanked and paid them before looking for a good place to sit. She settled on the one near the glass-framed wall and started eating her ice cream.

'It was good' she thought and it made her lighten up a bit. As she took another spoonful of ice cream, she spotted a head of white through the transparent glass frame. He was walking across the street.

Karin followed him with her gaze, wide eyed, and spoon still shove on her mouth. She tried not to choke, and as soon as she get rid of the plastic utensil, "Is he doing it on purpose?!" she accused, not realizing that she spoke it in a high volume.

All the people near her, turned to look at the owner of the voice and to their surprise, she was alone. Not even a sign of any gadgets to assume that she was having a conversation online or through phone.

Karin, finally coming into realization that she had been talking audibly to herself, blushed and proceeded to continue her cool treat.

"What a waste. She's pretty, but it looks like she has some sort of mental problem." A person, near her, whispered, but she heard it loud and clear.

She groaned.

It was his entire damn fault.

* * *

**So? What do you think? Any opinion about the story or writing will be greatly appreciated. Just don't heat it up to much like flames. ^^**

**2****ND**** CHAPTER: The Story Behind. **

**So long!**


	2. The Story Behind

**Yay! Hello! So it did took me long to update, huh? heh. So, anyway, here's the 2nd chapter of this fic. Hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If I own Bleach, then why would I still be writing this fanfiction? :P**

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Chapter 2

"Division Schizomycophyta."

Karin glared at her Biology book, the same usual glare that she was giving to people which will be translated in human words as 'What the hell are you talking about?' With that kind of look, most persons will immediately explain themselves, afraid that if they were not be able to make everything comprehensible for the young Kurosaki woman, it will really pissed her off. But, it was proven that her trademark stare, applied to non-living object, is no use at all.

"Division Myxomycophyta. Division Eumycophyta."

In a few seconds, her poor book which was innocently lying on the study table in front of her had flew over her and landed on the floor.

"Who cares about those, now? Why not just call them bacteria, slime molds and true fungi, instead of those stupid whatever-phyta names. It is easier to remember them that way."

She sighed.

"Screw those scientists. I have to blame them for it." She may not have noticed it, but she had been blaming people, lately, for no significant reason.

She stood up from her seat and picked her book from the floor, still complaining about the scientists. If only, they would hear her.

"They are not helping, at all, by naming things in a complicated manner. They are just making my life difficult. What do they think? I am not a genius like them."

Genius. That word made her stops, staring blankly at the book which was already on her hand.

"I am not like him." She, unconsciously, sighed. It seemed like it had already been her habit. She walked back to her chair, threw her book on the table and sat down.

She had been trying to occupy herself by doing something that will get her out of thinking him, since it was Saturday. No school, no soccer practice, no other things to do. In the end, her efforts of distracting herself, was still in vain. A thought of him still managed to slip in her mind.

Angling her head to face the ceiling, she voluntarily let her mind be filled by him.

* * *

A good-looking, arrogant jerk. A spoiled, rich kid. A person who is only great in form, but has no substance. Truthfully, that was what she thought about him, before. She was confident that the guy is only for mere display, and that everything, he has, was only brought to him by his good fate. And fate alone. She would always say that he is just lucky to be born with the face that most women would be attracted to, and even luckier to have a far relative who is really rich and kind enough to take him when he was orphaned at a tender age. Nothing to be awed about, he never put any effort to have them.

But then, all those convictions about him had been altered. It was like the world discovered about those beliefs she had about him, and didn't agree with her. Thus, in front of her, all the evidence, that he is far better from being just a good-looking spoiled brat, was presented.

And, there she realized how wrong she was.

.  
.

**FLASHBACKS****  
****FEW MONTHS PREVIOUS****  
**  
"I am actually inspired to go to school, now. He really deserves to be our leader, what do you say?" Karin heard one of her female classmates as she entered their classroom. It had been a week since the new school year had started, and since she also began her junior year in high school.

"Yeah, right! Did you notice that the students are more organize, now? I, myself, had promise that I will already avoid coming to class late because I thought he wouldn't like that." Another female classmate answered, and both of them giggled.

Out of curiosity, "Who?" Karin asked, without even much of a greeting. She is not fond of prying on other people's conversation, but hearing that the person, her classmates were talking about, has something to do with their school in general, she thought she might, as well, ask about it.

The girls turned their heads when they heard someone spoke to them. They both smiled as they saw that it was Karin.

"Good morning to you, too, Karin-san." Kazumi, the girl with a long, wavy, dark blue hair greeted. "It was the student council president that we were talking. Hitsugaya-senpai."

"Hitsugaya-senpai, eh? That famous prince, again." Karin scoffed. "I should have expected that. That rich kid had been the talk of all the students ever since he transferred here, last year."

Naomi, the other girl with the shorter brown hair nodded. "That can't be help. The guy has the looks, after all." She sighed, smiling as if dreaming about his dear prince charming. "And, now that he has the supreme student title, he had already become more popular."

"Pfft. It was no surprise that he became the student council president for this year. I bet all the females, including you two, voted him." She stated, pointing a finger on her two classmates. "And, even if not, it was just easy to have someone to pull the strings for him, considering how rich his adoptive father is."

"It doesn't matter, though. He had been doing pretty well since the first day." Kazumi replied, trying to defend the guy.

"Yeah, of course. All the girls in our school will do everything that he will ask, that's why." Karin retorted. "They're all trying to impress him and get his attention. I wonder what they saw on him, though."

Really, the only thing that she found interesting about his physical appearance is his hair. But, who wouldn't notice that, anyway? Even from a far distance, that white hair, which is like daring to disprove Einstein's law of gravity, is always distinctive. Other than that, she found nothing appealing about him. Well, honestly, she was not very much familiar about his features. She never, yet, had the chance to look at him closely and as if she is going to waste her time trying to catch a chance for a better look at him just to prove to herself that he is, indeed, handsome, like what his fan girls claim. She has more important matters to deal with, thank you very much.

The two females, she was talking to, just looked at each other understandingly. They smiled, and both shook their heads.

They had already known Karin ever since their first year in high school, and, if it was safe to assume, they had already been able to memorize her. She is the kind of person who will put everything that she has, who will always give her very best on the things that she loves to do. But, when it comes to the things that she didn't put any interest at all, expect that she will be utterly clueless and uncaring.

Xx

At the end of all her class, Karin went to visit the library since her soccer team had decided to take a day-break from practice and her sister, Yuzu, asked her if she can look for the book she needed for her History research, explaining that she couldn't go, herself, because their cheerleading team planned to have an overtime practice to perfect their new formation and stunts. Being the good sister that she is, Karin told Yuzu that she will look for it.

Upon arriving inside the library, Karin noticed that there was not a single person, aside from the librarian.

She shrugged. It wasn't surprising, really. Most students were doing their after school, club activities during those times of the day, and those who are not part of any club had, possibly, gone home.

She walked through the aisle in between the two bookshelves, looking for the book that Yuzu needed. Then, she stopped when she saw it but unfortunately it was on the highest division of the shelf. Even standing on her tip toe, she was just barely able to touch the bottom edge of the book.

"What the... C'mon." She was still on the same position, when a hand reached for it and gave it to her. She turned to face the person.

"Thank..." Her voice faltered when her eyes met a pair of stunning teal ones, "...you."

"Uh," came his simple reply, then he walked pass her, scanning each shelf for something.

Karin turned herself to look at him, as he was walking. It was the first time that she was able to come that close to him. She was, finally, able to see his face clearly. That was only a quick glance, but Karin saw that he has an attractive face, indeed. Not that she was attracted, she was just being honest. Besides, it was not the first pretty guy face that she was able to see. Her brother and her soccer team captain also have the charms of their own.

Karin made up her decision to stay a little bit longer and read something. She continued to walk to look for a good book to read, Yuzu's book on one hand. When she found a book about photography, she immediately took it and sat on the nearest chair, failing to notice the person who was already sitting across the same table. She flipped the pages of the book with enthusiasm. She and Yuzu are both fond of those photography books. An interest they got from their late mother.

When she took her eyes off the book, and looked straight across, that was when she only noticed that she has a companion, and he was also reading something. How would she know? He had been so silent.

She stared at him, while he was busy reading. She didn't realize that she had been looking at him for that long, until she heard him sighed.

"Is there any problem with my face?" He asked, looking up at her.

Karin blinked, and felt embarrassed on what she had been doing. Thanks to her sarcastic rebut, she managed to hide the embarrassment.

"Your fan girls will surely going to kill me if I said that there is a problem with your face. And, I can't also argue with them, to be honest. The evidence is too strong." She said bluntly, looking straight at his eyes. "I was just wondering if those are real. Or you're just wearing some contact lens."

He raised an eyebrow at her, somewhat surprise at her words. "No chance." He replied before going back to read his book. "Unless, I am really that weird to wear eye contacts and eye glasses, at the same time."

For the second time since their conversation started, she wanted to smack herself for her stupidity. Of course, he was clearly wearing a pair of specs. He had always been wearing that.

"How would I know if you really are?" She covered up.

Silent settled between them, after that. Though, it didn't take long when she spoke again.

"Did you bleach your hair?" she asked, curiously and as if she was just talking to a friend.

But, it looked like she was the only one who was trying to be at ease in their small talk.

In his reply, he didn't even care to hide any stain of irritation. "That is none of your business, Kurosaki."

"I was just... Hey, wait! You know me?"

"I have the records of all the students here." He explained simply. "Besides, who wouldn't know about the well-known Kurosaki woman, who was able to break through the no-rose-allowed rule of the Karakura Soccer Club?"

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow at him. "Oh, right, Mr. President. What a shame, I don't know much about you, though."

"As if I wanted to have people know everything about me." He answered her shortly. And, she was about to say something when he stood up. "Aren't you still going? I think it's almost time."

"Oh, yes." She immediately closed the book and stood up. She returned the book on its proper place in the shelf and walked to the librarian to borrow the History book that Yuzu needed.

Toushirou went out first, followed by Karin. He was only able to walk a few meters, when a white envelope slipped from his bag. It went unnoticed by him so he continued walking. Karin, who was walking after him, was the one to see it. She bent down to pick it up. She didn't really intend to see what's inside, but when she read the words written on the envelope...

Hitsugaya Toushirou,  
SEIREITEI UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE EXAM RESULT

Seireitei University. That prestigious college university which has a real high standard when it comes to accepting their students. There are lots of incoming college students who wanted to enter the university, but not all of them were fortunate to pass the entrance exam. The university had been also able to keep their reputation of not accepting any bribe. To them, money is not a case, for as long you have the brains. She heard from a few people, who had already tried to take the exam on the said university, that it is really hard. To be able to get on the top fifty passers is already a great achievement. Scratch that, to be able to pass, even not in top fifty, is already something that a person can brag about.

So when Karin took the paper inside the envelope and unfolded, to say that she was shock was an understatement. Looking at figures written, she just almost crumpled the paper out of disbelief and almost shouted "The hell! It's a joke!"

To sum up everything that she read, Toushirou Hitsugaya got a general average of 96.88% in the entrance exam, and the one who got the highest score at that. Not much of a shocker, really. Heck! Who was she fucking kidding!? It was the shocker of all the shockers! She never thought that that popular rich kid is actually intelligent. Not just intelligent, but a genius.

She was still staring intently at the paper when someone spoke.

"So? Do you think it is going to talk when you eye it like that?" The voice was not amused.

Karin looked up to the speaker, shock still written all over her face.

"Wow, Toushirou, you are a genius." She managed to tell him, his name easily slipped from her tongue.

A frown was what she got from him. "It's Hitsugaya-senpai to you. And, if you're done with that, can I already have it back."

"Oh. Hehe. Sorry." Karin sheepishly grinned, as she tuck the paper back to the envelope and handed it back to Toushirou. "But it was only a week since this school year started, and you had already taken an entrance exam for college? Wow, you are an early planner, huh?"

"Hn."

And, with that, they made their way out of the school together.

It was the first real encounter that they had, and unbeknownst to Karin, she was just starting to uncover the great things about him.

.

.

"Captain, you told us we are going to have a special practice game today." Karin stared at her captain while her arms crossed in front of her chest. Her tone was not pleased.

"Yeah." The team captain replied simply, a grin on his face.

Karin's eyes narrowed, then she diverted her stare at the guy standing next to their captain. Raising a hand to point a finger at the guy, she looked back to meet her captain's eyes.

"So, what is this genius kid doing here?"

It had been a week since she and Toushirou had that small conversation. Just two days after that, the whole school also discovered about his entrance exam result in Seireitei University which only gained him more admirers. The teachers were all proud of him and eventually, they nicknamed him 'boy genius.'

"We do not need someone to calculate the area of our soccer field nor the circumference of our soccer ball just to plot a new play for us." Karin stated, unaware of the glare that the subject of her statement was giving at her.

"Or did you call him to narrate the history of soccer to us?" Karin placed her hand at her waist, while an eyebrow was raised. "You do realize that soccer is not about theories, right captain?"

The person who spoke next wasn't their team captain whom Karin was expecting. Rather, a usual nonchalant voice was heard.

"Quit goofing around, Abarai. Would you just tell why did you call me here? I don't have all the time to waste dealing with nothing."

Renji laughed which earned him a glare from each of Karin and Toushirou. "I just realized how similar you, two, are when it comes to holding your patience." Still grinning, he looked at Karin and continued to talk. "Alright, alright, when I said a special soccer practice, I mean you're going to see how a real soccer star plays the game."

With that said, all the soccer members got curious. They looked at each other inquiringly, then to their captain.

"A soccer star?" One of them asked.

"Uh-huh." Renji answered, but before someone was able to ask who he was talking about, Toushirou butted in.

"I didn't remember that I agreed to this, Abarai," he said while still glaring at the red-head. He was clearly irritated.

"C'mon, Toushi-"

"Hitsugaya."

"Alright, whatever. You're the student council president, and it's your responsibility to help all the students here, including us. So it is the only help that I am asking you at." Renji explained.

"It's not part of my responsibility to play with your team." Toushirou argued.

The other members listened at their exchange, wondering what they were talking about.

"It is, too. And, if not, then, at least, you do it for me as your former team mate, no? And for them." He pointed to his team mates. "It will help them, for sure."

Toushirou stared at the others for a while, then sighed and shook his head. He walked away. Renji thought that he wasn't able to convince him, but when he saw that Toushirou dropped his things on the bench, he smiled. Toushirou walked back to them, his coat, tie, and glasses were already off, while his white long sleeves were rolled above his elbow.

"Then let's finish it as soon as possible."

Xx

Karin was pissed. She didn't know if their captain was just playing a prank on them. He divided the members on two teams, and what surprised her more was when he put all their good players on her side, while all their freshmen on the other team, with Toushirou. When she argued with him saying that the other team was not going to stand a chance against them, Renji just told her "We'll just have to see it."

Karin glared at the back of Toushirou who was running in front of him.

'Soccer is not about brains, genius.' She thought. 'Let's see, how you're going to deal with this.'

Elicited by her annoyance, Karin kicked the soccer ball not aiming the goal, but him. She wanted to put him on his place, but she didn't prompt herself in apprehending his action to answer her shot.

Tossing his self with a light quick motion in the air, Toushirou easily performed a bicycle kick on the ball. The ball went pass at Karin, and straight to the goal. Karin drew her breath sharply. She turned to look at the goal where the ball went, then back to Toushirou who was already walking away casually, his hand on his pocket.

"What had just happened?" she turned her eyes around, and everyone were just as equally as surprise as her. When she caught a glimpse of her captain, he was smirking at her, his eyes clearly saying 'I told ya.'

The game ended with the score of 4-3, favoring Karin's team. But, it wasn't really the scores that count. On the other team, Toushirou single-handedly outmaneuvered the whole game, seeing that all the freshmen were not yet that good to deal against Karin's team, while all the members on Karin's side worked together. That three scores he made by himself against them was already more than enough proof to say that he is really a soccer star.

When Renji asked Toushirou on what he can say about them, Karin didn't hear the offensive remark that she was expecting to get from him. Instead, "They're all good." was what he said, not a color of covering up his words was subtly suggested.

Xx

"He was our ace player in our soccer team during middle school, and also the captain of the kendo club, that time. But, his dad wanted him to pursue his studies so he can managed their business someday. During our last year in middle school, they decided to move to America and they just moved back here at Japan last year."

Karin remembered her captain's words about Toushirou, after that game, when the other members asked Renji if how was he able to be acquainted to the student council president.

.

.

It was weekend. She was jogging at the park when she heard a sob. She looked around and found a young girl at the bench, age 3-5 years based on her assumption. She was about to walk to her to ask what's the matter, when someone beat her to it.

"Are you lost?" A familiar voice asked the girl. Though, Karin noted that there was something uncharacteristic on his tone. It was sweet and soft.

As Karin's eyes confirmed that it was really Toushirou who was sitting beside the girl, she also noticed that he looked different at that time. Instead of his black coat over his white long sleeves and black pants, he was wearing a light blue shorts and white collared-shirt together with rubber shoes and white socks, a wrist band on his left, and he was not also wearing his glasses like that time he played soccer with them which only showed how beautiful his eyes really are. If with his school uniform, he looked like a young executive, with his current attire, he would be mistaken as a sports wear model.

"It's alright. Onii-chan is going to help you so stop crying, hm?" Karin heard him again. The young girl nodded and her expression calmed down.

Toushirou's next action totally caught Karin off guard. He ruffled the girl's hair, affectionately and...

"Oh my... Is he... smiling?" And not just a smile, but a kind, genuine smile. And she thought the only face expression that he can do is to glare, to frown and to roll his eyes. Even how much she refused to concede, she was already ogling at him. If his endearing voice and his smile wasn't still enough, she even saw him carried the girl like a loving brother he is to her.

Adorable. That was the only word she could think to describe it.

It had been a few minutes since Toushirou and the kid left, but Karin was still rooted at the same place. She walked to the bench where the two was seated earlier, and she sat down.

"So he's not really an arrogant brat, after all." She breathed.

Good-looking. Well-mannered. Genius. Soccer star. Great kendo player. Kind-at-heart. Almost perfect. Almost. Who would have thought someone like that really exists? And who would have thought that it's the person that she didn't expect the most?

Karin stood up, still thinking about him. She walked, not watching where she was going when...

"Nee-san! Watch out!"

Out of surprise, the only thing that Karin was able to do was to fix her, now wide, eyes at the boy riding his bicycle while it was coming towards her. Luckily, before it hit her someone had already grabbed her by the waist, and she felt her back pressed to something warm.

"Nee-san, I'm sorry." the boy stopped his bike to apologize.

"It's alright. It's not your fault." Karin's body went stiff when she heard her savior's voice, not to mention that he was still holding her. "This woman was not watching where she was walking."

"Uhm... Uh, I see, Nii-san. I'll go then. I'm sorry again." And so he left.

The hand let go of her waist, but she felt both hands grab her shoulders and turned her around to face him. "That was close. What the hell were you thinking, Kurosaki? You seemed to be spacing out?" His expression was a mix of annoyance and concern.

"N-no." She lied. As if, she'd tell that she was thinking about him. "I was just... Uh, never mind. I have to go. Thank you." Karin ran away from him immediately, desperately ignoring the change of her heart beat's rhythm.

And, that was only the start.

The start of finding herself lost at the thoughts of him.

The start of being distracted on the things that she was doing.

The start of talking and arguing to herself.

And, the start of blaming everything to him.

**END OF FLASHBACKS****  
**

* * *

"Karin-chan. Karin-chan."

With that soft voice calling, Karin slowly opened her eyes. She had fallen asleep while studying her biology subject, or to be more exact, while thinking about him. She looked up to see her twin sister standing next to her.

"Hey, Yuz", she greeted.

"I came here to ask if you wanted to come with me at the grocery store, or you just already wanted me to buy something for you."

Karin stood up. "Oh, I'll come with you. Hold on a minute. I'll just get changed."

She walked to her closet and searched for something to wear. As she was doing so, "Neh, Yuz. Do you think it's just normal for a person to keep thinking about someone?" She didn't know why she asked that, but she already did.

"Huh?" The other Kurosaki was surprised. Maybe, she didn't expect her twin sister to pop a random question like that. "I think it's just normal."

"Oh."

"...if the person is in-love with that someone."

It did made Karin turned to her twin sister, and yelled defensively. "I am not in-love with him!"

"Karin-chan, I am not saying that you are in..."

The moment that Yuzu stopped on what she was supposed to be saying like she just realized an important thing, Karin knew it was not a good sign. She was proven right when she saw that smile on her sister. The angel's devil smile.

"Karin-chan..."

With Yuzu's overly sweet voice, Karin gulped. She didn't like whatever is going on her sister's mind.

"Kyaa! Karin-chan! You're in-love?" That was actually more of statement than a question.

"I never said that!" Karin shouted at her sister who was now clapping her hand and almost jumping excitedly. There was no way that Yuzu was still going to listen to her.

"Who is he? Who is he? Tell me, Karin-chan!"

Feeling like it was no hopes anymore, Karin just facepalmed and shook her head.

Kami, help her.

Why did she have to become overly defensive about it? It just got worse. She already needed to stop making those irrevocable outbursts.

Seriously.

* * *

**So 2nd chapter done! Reviews will be great. :D**

**And, maybe you noticed that this and the first chapter are mostly written on Karin's POV. Now, is it going to be like that for the whole story? No, of course, not. We'll also get to see Toushirou's in the later chapters, and there's a reason behind it. So, I guess, I'll just suggest you to stay tuned.**

**3rd Chapter: I Am Not A Stalker**


	3. Not A Stalker

**Hiya! Third chapter update here! Not as long as the last one, but the length is still fair enough, I think. Hehe. Please, do have fun!****Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the story.**

* * *

Chapter 3

Having a fraternal twin sister like Yuzu was quite well with Karin. In fact, she's more than happy to have her. But, there are times, this night for instance, that she really get the pressing need to inquire as to why of all the people in the world she was the lucky one (or not) to be favored having a sister who always have the tendency of piling up her favorite romance stuffs, and even counting her siblings as victims of her romantic conceptions.

"Neh, neh, Karin-chan, is it Yuji-kun?"

The dark haired twin covered her head with pillow, while lying on her bed and desperately refusing to pay attention to her sister's queries. Contrary to her expectation, the stuffed pad was not enough to bar her sister's voice to get into her ears.

"I am not into those guys who are too nice to be easily manipulated," came Karin's muffled voice. "And, for the hundred times, Yuzu, will you go back to your room?"

Since her outburst earlier, Yuzu had never stop asking her who is the guy that she's in_ love_ with, not even subjecting it down to 'like'. No matter how many times Karin made the point that she's not in love, or whatever her hopeless romantic twin calls it, Yuzu wouldn't or refused to understand it.

"Hmmm... Then, Renji-senpai?" Yuzu didn't seem to care about the fact that her twin was obviously not interested.

"Ugh, Yuzu!" Karin suddenly sat up, throwing the pillow off of her. "He's just like a brother to me! Besides, almost everyone in school knows that he and Tatsuki-chan are into each other."

Yuzu pouted and creased her eyebrows like she was deep in thought. "Then, who could it be? One of your grade school buddies? Nah, I don't think so. Any clue, Karin-chan?"

"It's already late, Yuzu, go to your room. Now."

When Yuzu didn't show any intention of ending her guessing game, Karin restrained herself from shouting at her. She stood up, not being able to contain her irritation anymore, and was about to shove Yuzu out of her room when the next name, she heard, made her halt.

"How about Hitsugaya-senpai?"

There was a minute of silence. Whatever brought Yuzu into that name, it surely didn't want to make everything easy for Karin. She tried to look unaffected, except that when she spoke up to simply dodge the question, her own voice hand her over.

"W-will you just leave me alone?" And if her traitorous voice was not yet enough, even the sudden rush of blood on her cheeks conspired to totally overthrow her. She averted her gaze from Yuzu with the hopes that her twin was not able to see through her.

At the time that she didn't hear any reaction, Karin looked back at Yuzu, only to be met by that sly smile for the second time that day.

"He's a tough choice," Yuzu stated, smiling still.

"I never said that I like him!" Karin reasoned out, as she was able to comprehend the honey-haired twin's words.

Shrugging, Yuzu stood up from Karin's bed. "Neither had you denied it," she said, and walked out of the room, Karin's glare following her as she left.

As soon as the door closed, Karin sighed and shook her head. Whoever was saying that Yuzu is a sweet, harmless, little angel had never, yet, seen her wicked alter ego.

* * *

"Yuzu, where are we going? I still have a soccer practice." Karin struggled against Yuzu's grip, as the latter was, literally, dragging her out of the school building without giving a definite reason.

Yuzu didn't choose to answer her initial question. "Don't worry about your soccer practice. I, already, told Renji-senpai that you'll be excuse today," she said, however.

Perplexed, Karin was going to ask the reason behind the other twin's action, but was cut when Yuzu ceased walking. Then, not given the chance to even blink, Karin felt herself being yanked again by her sister.

"Jeez, Yuzu! My bones will, surely, going to be disjointed with what you're doing!" Karin protested as they stopped in a big tree near the school's main gate.

"Sshhh..." Yuzu put her index finger in her lips, a warning to keep herself silent.

Arching up her eyebrow, Karin wondered what was up with her sister now, but she didn't already need to ask as Yuzu pointed to something outside the gate. Her eyes followed the end of which Yuzu's finger was directed, and the moment she saw those distinctive white hair and sea-green eyes, something inside her chest involuntarily jumped for whatever reason that she didn't want to know, or kept declining to acknowledge.

In a moment, the abrupt change of pace in her heartbeat happened. But, then, it was treated with inattention, when Karin noticed that Toushirou was not alone. He was, in fact, having a conversation. A comfortable conversation, to be precise. With a girl.

The girl has brown eyes. Her black, shoulder-length hair was hanging down in bob. Based on her school uniform, Karin could tell that she was not attending the Karakura High, but a known all-girl-school in town. She is pretty, Karin noted, but too girly.

"That's great, Shiro-chan!" The Kurosaki twins heard the girl's high pitched voice. "Then, we can have a date!" she beamed.

Karin scoffed the moment she heard the word 'date', "Now, really."

While Yuzu looked at her, and was torn between concern and the desire of teasing her sister.

"Hinamori, I told you to stop calling me that." The irritation on Toushirou's voice didn't go unnoticed by the twin. However, when Karin's stare turned to his face, something within her just almost drop when she saw his soft expression, conveying his endearment to the girl. In some other cases, perhaps, she would find that expression adorable, but as it was directed to that Hinamori girl, Karin couldn't help but to feel like she didn't like it. Not, at the very least.

"Let's go, then," Toushirou told Hinamori.

Smiling, the girl looped her arms with his own, and the two walked together.

Karin wasn't sure if it was the only reason of Yuzu for dragging her. It didn't have anything to do with her. She wasn't really affected with what she saw. No, she wasn't. Or so, she believed.

She turned around and made an attempt to go back inside the school building, her expression was unreadable. But, before she could make even a single step, Yuzu was already able to catch her wrist.

"Let's follow them, Karin-chan!" Yuzu's voice, though still holding her inherent innocence, was determined.

"W-what? No way! I'll go back and join our practice, instead of watching a live romance movie. I do not want to become a stalker!" Karin turned to glare at Yuzu, trying to release her wrist from her hold.

"No, not stalk. We'll just go to follow them." Yuzu stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Whatever you call it, Yuzu, I am not going."

But, she wasn't given any other choice but to walk, keeping up with her sister, as Yuzu pulled her.

"Yuuuuuzu! Let me go!"

Too bad for Karin, Yuzu didn't show any sign of listening to her.

.

.

It wouldn't really catch Karin unawares if a colony of ants would suddenly attack a certain pair of high schoolers. They had been too sweet, not leaving each other's arms, since they left the school grounds. Just by hearing the girl's candied voice, Karin already wanted to spew, in no time, because of too much sugar.

"Remind me again, why I am here, Yuzu?" Karin demanded in vexation. Her narrowed eyes were fixed on a couple, not too far from them.

As an answer to her question, Yuzu smiled at her. "What? Aren't you interested to know what your prince is up to?" she asked, unspoiled.

If only it was not too rough and unnecessary to smack a sister like her, Karin had already put it in action for so many times.

"I don't give a damn about him. Not. At. All." Karin stated, as she looked at Yuzu, making sure to emphasize every single word while smiling back, though hers was sarcastic.

Yuzu opened her mouth to say something, but a loud, shrill cry of a girl had beaten her.

"Look, Hitsugaya-kun! Aren't they cute?"

Two heads turned to look at the source of that exclaim, and they saw Hinamori looking at the stuffed toys inside the claw crane. Toushirou walked to her, fixed his eyes on those little objects, and then frowned.

"They are all the same," he said easily. "I do not see anything cute about them."

_I agree_, Karin thought,_ they are just too pleasing for my taste._ In a contrary, Yuzu held that expression which was almost the same as Hinamori's, while looking on those things inside the machine.

"I really want them, Hitsugaya-kun!" Hinamori said, her smile not leaving her face. "Do you think you can get one for me?"

Hearing that, Karin let out a scorned expression, not fully aware about her own action.

"If she wanted it, then why not get it herself?" She asked, not deliberately. She never realized that she had been too engaged on that cotton-candy scene, when she heard someone giggling on her side. Oh, right, she almost forgot about her sister.

As Karin gave her a questioning look, Yuzu kept giggling. "Jealous much?"

"I am not!" Oh, really, is she really her sister or what?

"Right. I believe you," Yuzu said, but her smile was telling otherwise.

Thinking that it was not worth trying to explain everything to Yuzu, Karin just preferred to ignore her. As she employed her eyes back to Toushirou and Hinamori, she couldn't avoid it, but to think of that one word that she supposed would describe her and Toushirou's situation.

Unfair.

_How dare he?_ Karin thought as she shot him with her hot-filled glares.

She had been involved in a number of troubles lately. She wasn't able to totally pay attention on her class, as well as her soccer practice. Her team mates thought she was love sick which really annoyed her. Sometimes, she would found herself talking alone even when in public which would only bring people to think that she's crazy! Different sides of her mind would engage themselves in an argument. And, she had to suffer from her sister's constant, evil teasing! Those, and whatnots, and it was all because him!

So how dare he? How dare he to look so much gratified with his life, while she was having an awful time on it? Unfair, indeed.

Karin made up her mind that she couldn't let it happen. No one, not even the Karakura High's prince, had the right to make unfair things to her. People who tried to mess with her had received their well-deserved paybacks, so this case wouldn't be so different, right? If she was having problems because of him, then he also deserved to be in trouble. Life shouldn't always be a bouquet of roses to him, while she was dealing with thorns. She will drag him down with her. She just wanted to make everything even.

With her new found resolve, Karin walked away from Yuzu, leaving the latter with a confused expression. She was determined to carry out her naughty plan. No turning back, though her pride was on the line. It would surely cause a conflict between him and that girl, and he needed to clean it up. It would just be easy for him; he's a genius after all.

Walking casually, Karin couldn't help, but to inwardly smirk._ Let's all have a little fun._

She stopped as soon as she reached her target spot. The pair didn't notice her, yet.

Summoning up all her courage, she beamed to Toushirou. "Hi, baby!" She made sure to cover her voice in the sweetest tone that she could possibly put. Then, without a second, she tip toed, leaning in to give a peck on his cheek.

That was her original intention. Just a quick kiss. On his cheek.

But, she didn't consider the other possibilities of her scheme. Like the possibility that he would turn his head to look at her when she called.

And, that was what he did. He turned, and her action was too quick to still stop her self. Too late when she realized that her lips didn't meet that particular part of his face, but they landed...

on his own lips.

Once again, it was just like the hands of the clock ceased their movement. Wide, onyx eyes stared at the equally wide, teal ones, their lips still, awkwardly, pressed together.

Finally, letting everything to sink, Karin pulled away immediately, face flushed, but she wasn't the only one. _Shit! That was uncalled._ She already wanted to run away, and to pretend that nothing happened.

But when she thought about it, she had already started, so what would be the sense if she would not end it, as well? She regained all the determination not to back out just because of that clumsy kiss. And, with that, she resumed her act.

"I see you are with a friend," she said, her voice was unsteady. She took a quick glance at Hinamori who was already wearing that what-the-hell-happened expression on her face. Looking back at Toushirou, who was still dumbfounded, she forced a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Karin waved her hand and walked away, leaving the two to comprehend what happened. There was still a red tint on her face indicating that she, herself, failed to fully recover, yet.

Yuzu, who was just watching that whole incident, was also surprise. She didn't know what hit her twin to do that, but it was already out of her concern. When Karin neared her, Yuzu wasn't able to smother that wide grin on her face.

"So you were not contented to just stalk him, huh? That you still have to do that."

"I didn't stalk him! This was your own idea!" Karin shouted, but not loud enough.

"I didn't tell you to go there, and kiss him," Yuzu defended. "Why did you do that, anyway?"

"T-that was... Just because... Let's just go home!"

And, it was Karin's turn to drag her sister out of that place.

* * *

He was still at lost, gaping at that particular area where she disappeared with her sister, his face was still heated. He tried to process everything that happened, and wondered if those were for real or just his imagination. Though, he highly doubted it to be the latter. It was too clear and notable to assume that it was just a mistaken perception of reality. And, the kiss. The touch of her lips on his. It felt... Too real. Having that thought, Toushirou, unconsciously, bit his lower lip.

"What. Was. That?"

Snapping out of his reverie, Toushirou looked at his companion.

"B-beats me."

Hinamori frowned and narrowed her eyes, as she looked at the same spot where Toushirou was looking earlier. The way she drew her eyebrows together, it was just like she was desperately trying to recall something.

And, all of a sudden, her face lit up, as she clapped her palms together and looked at him.

"Hah! That was her!" She exclaimed cheerfully, and gave him a knowing smile. "Kurosaki Karin-san, was it?"

"U... Uh," Toushirou reluctantly confirmed. He wished that Hinamori would not be able to realize who the girl was, but no such luck.

Hinamori crossed her arms, trying to look intimidating but to no avail. With her features, it was too impossible. "Shiro-chan, why didn't you told me that you and your crush were already together? Don't you have any little trust with your pretty cousin here?"

"I kept telling you and Matsumoto that the girl is not my crush, or whatever you, two, were trying to insist! And, I do not know what happened, but we are not together!" Toushirou shouted, his face coloring up more.

Hinamori grinned at her cousin, enjoying his reaction. "She's not? Then, what about her pictures that you have? How are you going to explain the fact that you were stalking her?

Toushirou paused, contemplating his reply. "T-that was part of the students' record! And, I was not stalking her!"

* * *

**A/N: Hmm.. Soooo.. See that coming? Heh. There, then. Hope you had fun reading! ****And, before someone would ask about Toushirou and Hinamori's 'date', well, I think you can date someone who is close to you, not only your gf/bf, right?**

**Anyway, sorry if updates were slow. I have lots of things to do during weekdays, leaving me only the weekends to write, but still I do not have the whole day during those times. I tried to update last week but my mind wouldn't function very well.**

**4th Chapter: First to Fall; Something Beyond Normal**

**Until next time!**


	4. The Other Side of a Coin

**A/N: First of all, I wanted to apologize for taking this long to update. I was just busy with some school stuffs which, I am proud to say, was already over! I am already going to graduate, yay, cheers! :D**

**Oh, anyway, I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter.**

**So, let's go to chapter four!**

**IMPORTANT: Most parts of this chapter were set on past events, and some are connected to the flashbacks in Chapter Two. The last part will be the continuation of the present happenings of the story.**

**Why is that so? You'll know. So please read and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

* * *

Toushirou Hitsugaya lived his life searching for something that will make the difference. Far from fan girls, or from people who only looked up at him for what he has, and not for who he really is.

Ever since he was in middle school, as far as he remembered, he had always been tagged as a prince, a star or an heir of one of the biggest corporation existing. He thought when they moved in America, everything will already change. But he was wrong; it was still all the same. Even without trying, he was still able to get the attention of a number of people, and mostly females. He was used to it but, most of time, it was already burning out on him.

The time that he came back to Japan, and transferred to Karakura High School, his hopes for something not typical was already almost non-existent. Because of the past, he had already kept his expectation for it at low. But surprise! Fate, as they call it, had introduced her to him.

.

.

"What the hell are you all doing there?! We still need to improve our plays and it's not going to happen if you'll just sit there! Get your lazy butts up! Move! Now!"

A week after transferring to Karakura High, it was a loud, feminine voice that got Toushirou to look at the school's soccer field nearby, and his eyes was met by a view of a young woman scolding the players.

The club manager, his initial assumption. When he sent her a better attention, however, he noticed that the girl was also wearing the same uniform as the players and her over-all appearance was not like the type who just sits there watching and plotting a game. Jet-black hair was tied up in a messy pony tail, but it didn't blot out her fine facial aspect. Her eyes, Toushirou could see even with few meters away, were brimming with warnings. And, when Toushirou bend his concentration to the other players, he wondered how the girl was able to make them have cold feet. Based on the way they reacted, it was like not listening to her was a pretty bad thing.

He was too occupied on watching them that he didn't notice that someone had joined him.

"She's pretty interesting, huh?" he heard someone spoke on his side, and it was only then that Toushirou gave that person an attention.

"Abarai..." he acknowledged.

The red haired man nodded his head to him. "It has been a while, Toushirou. So you are the 'handsome transferee' that those girls, I passed by, were talking, eh?"

It was only a week of staying in this school, and he was already the talk of them? Toushirou sighed at the news, looking back at the soccer area.

"It's Hitsugaya to you. So, I've heard you're the captain of this soccer team. Which, I may say, I am glad to know." He watched as the soccer members had started a game, and he was a bit surprise to see that the girl was in it.

"So, she plays." It was a comment that slipped from his tongue, without realizing.

"She does. And, she's the only female regular of our team," Renji stated, and if Toushirou was looking on him he would see that he had that proud smirk on his face.

Toushirou found himself getting curious about the female. And, without averting his attention, he asked. "Oh, yeah? How come?"

"There wasn't really a gender requirement in our team. It was just that there were already some few other chicks who tried out, but failed. And Karin was the only lucky one" - Renji paused, thinking about something - "Scratch that, she was the only female who has the enough potential to be accepted in our team."

_Karin. So that was her name._ Toushirou saw how she managed to get the ball and weaved in and out of her three opponents, making a pullback as one tried to steal the ball, before she cut the ball back one more time to get her needed momentum and easily kicking it straight to the goal.

"No wonder." With his approach, almost blasé, Toushirou was able to cache his amazement for the girl.

"Praiseworthy, isn't she?"

"I'll give her that," Toushirou answered honestly, as he peeked on his wristwatch. "I think I have to leave you, now. I still have something do."

"I see, you still never change," Renji said, smirking at him. "Well, then. I also already need to join my team. If you have time, feel free to play with us, and show us the game that a soccer prodigy plays."

Toushirou could only watch as his former team mate walked towards his team. He sneaked a last look at the current game, before turning, and walking away.

_Karin, huh?_ If he would just be honest to himself, he could accept that he had already acquired an interest to her. A tough young woman and a pretty one at that.

More on instinct, the corner of his lips curled up at the thought.

.

.

Every time all his class was over, Toushirou would usually spent a few minutes of staying in one of the second floor rooms, which were vacant during those times. It was always a good place to read his books in there, considering that it was often silent, and there were rare students who passed by near the room. But it was only part of the whole reason why he brought it to himself to have the pastime of stopping there.

Through the window, he had a good view of their school's soccer field, and he would always be able to watch at their practice game. Being the soccer enthusiast, himself, Toushirou believed that he only longed to play that was why he constructed that habit of always watching them.

But, it was one time, a nosy mentor of his had pointed out that his fondness of the Karakura high soccer team's game had no longer something to do with soccer, itself. It was already about 'someone.' And when Toushirou tried to reason out, the teacher's words had left him with no room for any excuse.

"But, Hitsugaya-san, Kurosaki-san is not the only one playing. So, I wonder why your whole attention is reserved to her alone, all throughout the game."

And, Toushirou's only reaction was a bunker atmosphere.

.

.

The new school year had started somewhat different for him. As the new elected Student Council President, he was thrilled, thinking about the responsibilities. On the other hand, he was, sort of, bothered, not because of the awaiting accounts, but because it would only mean higher level of popularity for him, and the developing number of his fan base.

He didn't anticipate that it was not the only thing that was going to change on his life. Just when he was convinced that his interest for a certain soccer player was really baseless, the world laughed at him and brought him in an actual chance meeting with her.

XxX

It was weird. He really had nothing to do in the library, but, as boiler plated as it sounded, it was like an unknown force had pulled him into it. And when he had been apprised of the presence of the only person there, he was surprise. More over, he admired how she looked so different with her school uniform. A fine young woman, she really was.

After Karin gave her words of thank for helping her get the book that she had been struggling to reach, only a single word was gotten from Toushirou, if that was even considered as a word. It was not because of his cold nature, but because, for the first time in his life, Hitsugaya Toushirou was scared that he would bobble on his speech. And, he immediately walked away from her because he already felt uneasy just being close to her.

He randomly picked a book to read and found a seat, hoping that it would calm the atypical gut reaction on him. But, curse his luck! Of all the seats in the library, Karin had preferred to settle herself on the one in front him. Oh, joys!

While he appeared perfectly fine in the outside, he was already clashing hard inside, and it got worse when Karin just decided stare at him. And, as if he couldn't hold it any longer, he released it in a sigh.

"Is there any problem with my face?" Someone could have assumed that the coldness was only going along with his self-centered behavior, but with Karin, it was actually a defense mechanism.

With Karin's answer, he was a bit surprise. So he'd heard that she was a sarcastic woman, but he didn't expect that she was also that blunt. And what amused him more was her last statement. "I was just wondering if those are real. Or you're just wearing some contact lens."

No one knew, and they wouldn't already be able to know, how he thanked all the gods that he was able to smother a laugh on that. Yes, he almost laughed at her naïveté, though he didn't let it out. She was the first person who made him feel like that. Hell, others could even hardly make him smile.

Toushirou had grown at rest around her during their short conversation, even when he was displaying his indifferent forward surface. And, he was disappointed when the time at the library had been over.

XxX

"Wow, Toushirou, you are a genius."

He already heard different variations of it, but this was the only one which was able to send a pleasant feeling to him.

Was he flattered? Happy? Proud? He wasn't sure. But for all he knew, he actually liked the praise and his given name rolling from Karin's tongue.

Though, even that, he wouldn't admit. So with his disinterested façade, he chided, "It's Hitsugaya-senpai to you."

.

.

Later that night after their first real encounter at the library, Toushirou found himself browsing the students' profiles on his laptop. Being the Student Council President, he was given the access on it. He was just looking through the records when a single name had made him pause.

Kurosaki Karin.

Together with her data, attached were some photos of her, mostly taken from the tournaments that her team had won.

Toushirou didn't know how long he had been looking at them when he heard someone talk from behind.

"That Kurosaki Karin is pretty. So she is your type, huh?"

Toushirou turned to glare at the speaker. It was the strawberry blonde woman whom his dad asked to take care of him when he was a child. She was already like his mother.

Grinning, the said woman continued, "Now what? You are already a stalker, Toushirou?"

"You're wrong, Matsumoto," he answered, "It's the students' records."

"I see," Matsumoto nodded, "I am wondering, though, why would you spend an hour at a single student record."

Toushirou was about to reason out when someone decided to join.

"Hitsugaya-kun. Matsumoto-san. Good evening."

The two looked at the new comer.

"Momo-chan! What a surprise! Good thing you decided to visit us!" Matsumoto squealed, as she ran to hug the other female.

"Hinamori, it's already dark outside. What makes you think that it's safe to wander around at this night," Toushirou butted in, frowning.

Hinamori giggled at her cousin's over protectiveness. "Don't worry, Shiro-chan. I can take care of myself. So what are you, two, up to?"

"Oh, nothing really," Matsumoto answered, "We were just talking about the crush of our little Toushirou, here."

"Crush? Shiro-chan has a crush? Who is the lucky girl?" Hinamori excitedly asked.

Instead of answering, Matsumoto pointed at Toushirou's laptop, and before he could do anything, Hinamori had already run towards it, snatching the mouse from him.

"Kurosaki Karin? Whoa, Shiro-chan, she's really pretty. And she also plays soccer. You sure have a good taste!"

"So I was telling him."

"I do not like her! And how many times do I have to tell you not to call me Shiro-chan!" Toushirou shouted, grabbing back the mouse.

"Eh? So you are just stalking her, Shiro-chan?"

"I am not!"

Unluckily for Toushirou, the two women had just started. From that day on, every time Hinamori would come around, she and Matsumoto would talk about him and his so-called-crush, like they were their crazy fan girls. They wouldn't stop until he would totally snap at them.

.

.

The time that he played with the soccer team because of Renji's persistency, Toushirou had proven to himself how childish he could be. He pretty well knew that even with simple moves he could have scored the goal, so what made him wonder was why he still performed his complicated tricks on them. It was answered by a single question which popped on his mind after the game.

Was Karin impressed? And, he just had to scold himself for even giving a damn on it.

After he saved her from being hit by a bicycle, one weekend, he didn't already know what was happening to him.

When he saw her, he felt like his day was already complete.

When he noticed that a bicycle was coming to her and she was not paying attention, he was utterly worried. He ran towards her and quickly grabbed her waist.

When he felt her back on him, his stomach had almost flip, his heart jumped.

When he let her go and turned her to face him, he was actually reluctant to do that, because oddly he found their proximity comfortable.

When he didn't get a decent response from her, and she immediately run away from him, he was hurt.

But even when he was watching her retreating form, there was only one thing running on his mind.

_Damn woman, don't scare me like that!_

Exaggerated, maybe. It was only a bike, after all. But, still, he didn't like the idea of seeing Karin being hurt.

But, then again, he wouldn't admit that to himself.

.

.

After all the incidents with Karin, Toushirou would usually found himself being deprived by sleep for too much thinking of her. Even if he didn't intend to have the thoughts of her, Karin would always find a way to sneak through his mind. During those sleepless nights, he would end waking up with terrible head ache. And, of course, he would blame everything to Karin.

_This is stupid. I am pretty sure she is already trying to seduce me. Damn. I bet she used a magic spell on me._

How pathetic. Even if he was gifted with high intellect, when it comes to his issues regarding the girl, he was pretty feebleminded, and was already thinking illogically.

* * *

Toushirou wondered if his life was foreordained to be with women who loved to stir up troubles on him.

As a child, he was raised by a free-spirited woman who always loved to leave her duties for drinking and shopping sessions, and he also grew up with a clumsy female cousin, shared bed with her when they were kids and would wake up wet because of her bad habit back that time. Hell, he was even the one who would clean up her mess.

In anywhere he went, fan girls would follow him. And, as Toushirou recalled what happened earlier, and he looked at the two persons in front who were grinning stupidly at him, he couldn't help but to believe that being with pain-in-the-ass women was really his fate. His terrible fate.

"For the hundred times, I am telling you. She is not my girlfriend."

Really, he wasn't yet able to establish the fact that she is not his crush, and now she is already his girlfriend?

"But I heard it when she called you 'baby', and also saw it when she kissed you!"

Of course he didn't have any explanation on that, but if Matsumoto and Hinamori would believe that he was also clueless about that, he highly doubted it. So, sighing, he stood up.

"This is pointless." He muttered, before leaving the two women.

He went in his room upstairs, and as he laid his back at his bed and watched the ceiling, he pondered.

The bang. A bizarre that he was searching in his life. Was he already able to find it? With a certain raven-haired soccer player?

Funny. Usually he would be totally annoyed when somewhat tried to flirt with him. And as he remembered how Karin had kissed him for indefinite reason, he found that he didn't mind at all. He was confused, yes, but more than that, he was just curious.

_Why did she do that?_

Before closing his eyes to surrender to his dreams, he made his decision. He was going to get the answer from her, no matter what.

* * *

**A/N: *grins* I know, I know. Based on the reviews on previous chapter, everyone wanted to see how they will react to each other at school after their 'first (unintentional) kiss But, obviously there wasn't something like that that was given in this chapter. And, please don't think that I did it on purpose to troll you. Haha. No, because even before I posted the first chapter of this story, I already had each chapter plotted in my mind and this was how Chapter 4 went. ^.^ I hope you were not disappointed. :/**

**Don't worry you'll have it on the next chapter! :D I just really wanted to show Toushirou's side of the story before going into the real HitsuKarin interactions.**

**I hope you liked it, still. So kindly drop a review.**

**Chapter 5: Consequences**

**Until next time!**


	5. Consequences

**A/N: I love you, guys. You're all awesome! :D Thanks for the reviews last chapter.**  
**Alright! So now I am giving you the chapter 5 of Make It Even. Please enjoy! :D**

**Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns Bleach.**

* * *

Karin hated the fact about herself that she didn't know how to put the aftereffect of her actions into high regard. Now, she regretted playing a naughty, if not awfully immature, prank on him. Kissing a guy with a large number of female followers was already a bad idea. Even more, kissing the guy in front of his assumed girlfriend was not a way of thinking which anyone would call astute. How she prayed Toushirou would just bury the whole incident in the sand. But deities were not on her side; the young genius showed a forewarning of hunting her down.

Hide-and-seek. For the past three days, it was like Toushirou and Karin had given a new variation of the game. By happy chances, Karin was, so far, ahead of their little play than within the period, she managed to keep herself out of his sight, or fend off, at best, every time she would saw him walking towards her direction. She understood that Toushirou was impatiently desirous to capture and sauté her alive. After all, what could be the other possible outcome of her mindless action other than putting Toushirou's relationship to Hinamori, his assumed girlfriend, in total disorder. But she noticed that of all the people who were experiencing a relationship problem, he was surely the opposite of a walking disaster; he was not even near. In fact, he still appeared comely and he had just become more charming according to his fans. That made Karin thinks if he had not given any significance to his relationship to the seemingly cheerful girl. On the other hand, that was not really her biggest concern, at the moment. She needed to think of a way to avoid Toushirou for the rest of the semester before the other would get a hold of her head and charcoal-broil it in a stick, without a chunk of mercy.

It wouldn't take a genius to know that Karin was purposely avoiding him. And given that he was one, comprehending it too ahead of time, for him, was just very basic. He had seen it coming - baiting a woman like Kurosaki Karin was not going to be a cakewalk - and surprisingly, he was already starting to find their game quite entertaining. He wasn't sure, but he had this bent feeling that pursuing it would be worth it, in the end.

.

.

"Karin-san, what are you going to do with those books?" Kazumi asked, watching Karin curiously, as the latter put down a heap of books on the table, while they were inside the library, and sat in front of her classmate.

"I am having a hard time on my Physics class, and I thought I could use this vacant time to, at least, do some reading."

Eyeing the books that Karin had brought with her, Kazumi wondered if she was just making a quip or she sincerely didn't know what she was talking. "Are you sure you will be able to read all of those at once?"

"Nuh-uh. Who said I am going to read them all? I am just going to scan it for the important information that I needed," Karin answered, gaining a shrug from Kazumi, as the girl went back on writing her essay homework.

Giggles were surely not the ones that Karin would appreciate to hear when she was trying to understand what she was reading. When the girls, near her, didn't stop on their annoying girly laughs, (though not too audible; they were inside the library, after all) she was expecting that the glower, she intended for them, would button them down. Unfortunately, they didn't spare her a glance even for half a second, being all their attentions were on the direction of the library's entrance.

She angled her head on that direction to find out whatever was wonderful at the door. And the moment she saw what it was, or better yet, who it was, panic immediately ate her down.

For lack of enough time to think, she grabbed the first book that her sight had fallen into, and raised it open in front of her face with the hopes that it would be enough to cover her.

"Uhm... Karin-san? What are you doing?" With Kazumi's question, Karin could sense the concern on her voice.

Stammering, she wasn't able to give the assurance that what she was doing was fine. "I-I am reading. Isn't it obvious?"

"I am impressed." That wasn't surely the reply that Karin had anticipated. Furthermore, the source of that comment was certainly not her female classmate. There was no way that Kazumi would be having a smooth, boyish voice.

Every second was full of apprehension, as Karin slightly lowered the book to peek through it. She should have already expected the view waiting to be revealed but everything had still blown her away.

On all of his drop-dead glory, a rather amused Toushirou was standing behind Kazumi. One hand on his pocket, as per usual, while a book was on the other, giving an impression which was too stuck up for her liking. For a moment, Karin had forgotten that she was suppose to be already running away from him. Instead, while checking his form, she wondered how the guy could manage to appear so attractive even if he was just staying still.

"I do not know that you have a talent of reading a book upside down," Toushirou gave as a follow up on his initial statement, tearing Karin away from her beloved muse.

Looking down at the book, Karin's face colored up in embarrassment when she realized that she was, indeed, holding it the wrong way.

"S-shut up." What a golden countercharge. So smart.

If they weren't in the library, Karin was very much certain that the girls, looking at him, could have already squealed out. Even Kazumi seemed like, in any moment, she would already bid her farewell to her clear mind, while scrutinizing the guy behind her.

As Karin totally looked up at Toushirou, the meaning of her scowl was not hard to decipher. _'Get lost'_

Toushirou had grown more pleasantly occupied on her reaction. It may not be normal, but he was always having fun watching her every time she would immediately back away and would hide when she spotted him walking in the hallway. It was, as if, he was going to eat her alive.

Shrugging, he turned away with the thoughts that it was not the perfect time to speak up to her. He was going to do that when there wasn't a single person to eavesdrop. He still had a plenty of time, after all.

Karin thought she saw him smiled, but wasn't really sure because he already turned his back and walked away. She sighed in relief. She would give him the credit for having a consideration so as not to confront her in public. Beyond shadow of doubt, she would never hear the end of it.

"K-karin-san, y-you are acquainted with Hitsugaya-senpai?" Kazumi asked, as soon Toushirou was out of sight.

"Huh?" Karin was caught on the thought of what could be the answer that her classmate would love to hear. "Uh, everyone knows who he is, no?"

"But it was like he also knows you very well. Are you friends with him?" Kazumi's expression suddenly brightened up for reason that Karin couldn't quite chew over.

Frowning, Karin replied, "Hardly. He's my neighbor."

She didn't know where she got the answer, but as she saw how Kazumi had reacted, she already knew that she had chosen the wrong excuse to say.

"But, Karin-san, you are living at the end of Karakura, and from what I'd heard Hitsugaya-senpai is living on the other side of town."

"O-oh, yeah?"

Kazumi shook her head at Karin's reaction. She was really curious, but she decided not to push Karin to say anything, seeing that she was being uncomfortable about it.

.  
.

Toushirou scanned the school canteen with his eyes when he heard Renji's voice called him. It didn't take long to find where he was sitting, given that the read-haired captain of soccer team was tall, making him to stand out in the crowd. Toushirou made his way towards his former soccer team mate with his tray of foods, ignoring the girls who were practically pleading for him to share their tables. As he was near, that was when he noticed that Renji was not alone.

Sitting with him, was a very enthusiastic Yuzu, and a not-so-enthusiastic Karin.

"Hi, Hitsugaya-senpai!" Yuzu greeted. "Come. Sit with us," she invited.

"Better be with us than your fan girls," Renji added, while Karin didn't say anything.

There was only one seat left so Toushirou had no choice but to settle himself beside Renji, in front of Karin. "Thanks," he said as he sat down.

"I don't know that you're eating here, Hitsugaya." Renji started a conversation, "Don't Matsumoto cook for your lunch?"

Toushirou frowned, looking to his side. Being his classmate back on middle school, Renji was already very well acquainted to his family. "Do you want me to die of food poisoning?" he asked with too seriousness on his face. "You pretty well know how awful her cooking is."

Renji grinned. "Kidding."

"Does it mean you always go here to eat, Hitsugaya-senpai?" Yuzu asked, joining their conversation. Karin remained silent and continued eating. Apparently, she was not in the mood.

"Not really. I usually prepare my own lunch for school," Toushirou answered, "Or, Hinamori would sometimes visit early to help me with that."

With the mention of the girl's name, Karin obviously tensed up.

"Hinamori?" Yuzu asked, pretending that she didn't yet heard the name before.

Toushirou looked up to Yuzu, then to Karin who was beginning to fidget. "Uh, my cousin," he answered before going back to his food.

Hearing that, Karin and Yuzu looked at each other with bewildered expressions. So Hinamori was his cousin? Not his girlfriend?

Grinning, Yuzu looked back at the white-haired man. "So Hitsugaya-senpai, do you already have a girlfriend?" she, shamelessly, asked, then she felt that Karin had kicked her leg under the table, but Yuzu didn't waver.

When Toushirou heard that question, he couldn't understand why Yuzu reminded him so much of Matsumoto and Hinamori. He was about to open his mouth to answer when Renji decided to butt in.

"Yeah, right, Hitsugaya. It would be surprising if you hadn't yet gotten one, seeing how most of the girls in our school were chasing after you. Say, how many girls were you already able to kiss?" Renji teased.

On that, Karin suddenly felt a difficulty on swallowing her food. She immediately grabbed the bottled water on her side and drank. Why of all things that Renji-senpai would ask, it had to be that one.

Toushirou watched Karin in pure amusement, while Yuzu started giggling beside her.

Out in space, Toushirou gave an answer to Renji's question. "One," he said while still watching Karin as she devoured the bottle's content.

_One_, Karin thought. Did it mean... When the incident on them was counted as a kiss, then...

As she was able to comprehend it, Karin had threw a fit of more desperate choking coughs. This time, Yuzu became worried.

"K-Karin-chan, are you alright?" she asked while reaching to rub the back of her twin.

"I-I'm fine," she answered as soon as she recovered, though still gasping for air.

"What happened to you?" Renji also appeared to be worried.

"Nothing." Karin reached for her chopsticks to continue with her food. Thinking back on Toushirou's answer, her face colored up, a bright shade of crimson.

Renji fixed his gaze at her, confused.

Yuzu smiled, knowingly.

Then a chuckle. From a person that everyone would have least expected. His fist was brought near his mouth to, at least, tone down his laugh. Aha, Hitsugaya Toushirou was in glee. The world... might be in doom.

Renji was surprised. He had never, yet, saw Toushirou laugh. Even when they were in middle school.

Karin stared at him in awe. A scowling Toushirou was attractive enough. A smiling Toushirou could already melt every girl down, like an ice cream under the sun. And, this. This laughing Toushirou was really too perfect for words. Almost luring to crash him in a hug. Almost.

Maybe, some other time, she would love to watch him like that, even for a whole day straight. But as she called on her mind that he was laughing because of her; the fact that he was making fun of her, all she only wanted to do was to throw her chopsticks on him.

"Nothing's funny with it," she warned.

Toushirou, noticing Karin's annoyance, stopped but his smile, too bright for someone like him, was a dead giveaway that he was only holding his laugh inside. "Sorry," he apologized, smiling and coughing out to, hopefully, restrain himself from laughing again. "I just can't help." Oh, why was he starting to find her really cute when flushed?

"I almost died choking, and you just had the nerve to laugh at me?!" Karin, angrily, pointed her chopsticks on his face while a piece of rolled omelet was still fastened on the tip. Toushirou leaned back a bit, alarmed that the food would come flying straight to his face. "And you are telling me that you can't help it? Why, you little arrogant freak! Do you-"

Karin immediately stopped her raving when Toushirou wordlessly took a bite of her food.

"What the hell?" she whispered, as she looked at the half-eaten rolled omelet on her chopsticks, then back at Toushirou.

"You were practically shoving it to my face. It was tempting," Toushirou reasoned out, as soon as he was able to swallow the food.

Karin narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't say anything and just proceeded to eat the remaining half of it.

"Wow, I didn't know that you, two, can get along very well." Renji decided to let them know that Yuzu and him were still there.

Looking at her twin, Karin noticed that Yuzu's eyes were twinkling in joy, almost rivaling the stars at night.

"Now, what?" Karin demanded at her sister.

"Do you know what it means, Karin-chan?" Yuzu asked smiling.

"What is?" Karin asked back, confused.

"You and Hitsugaya-senpai. Sharing the food. Using the same chopsticks!"

"Huh? Improper hygiene?"

Toushirou scoffed. "Slow," he whispered, earning him a glare from her.

"Indirect kissing!" Yuzu squealed. Renji snickered. Toushirou rolled his eyes. And Karin choked again, and blushed, as she finally got what her sister was saying.

Deciding that she had have enough, she quickly stood up. "That's it! I am out of here!" Glowering at Toushirou, Karin was only able to receive a passive stare from him. "Stupid genius," she muttered before stomping away.

"Stupid genius, huh?" Toushirou said almost to himself, while watching Karin walked away, "How ironic. . .

.

.

Karin walked in the hallway, still irked of what happened in the canteen. Anyone who had seen her expression already knew what it meant - _Don't go near me, I can strangle anyone to death, right now._

When she felt her phone vibrated on the pocket of her sailor fuku, the first person who came to her mind was Yuzu. Sighing she reached for her phone and opened it.

Contrary to what she was expecting, the text was from an unknown number. She frowned, reading the message.

_Game over. After your soccer practice, I want to hear you out. This had already waited for too long, don't you think?_

_-HT_

She groaned, realizing who it was and understanding what he meant. Why couldn't he just forget everything? It was not as if she had bruised a relationship, now that she knew that Hinamori was only his cousin.

But that wasn't really the punch. As Karin noticed that his text didn't end there, she scrolled down.

_p.s. You didn't have any problem of kissing me directly, so why would the idea of indirect kiss bothered you too much?_

After construing the words, Karin felt like her head would already blow up because of too much blood.

.

.

She would head home early. She would not attend their soccer practice. Right, that way she wouldn't already need to face Toushirou.

Or so, she thought.

"And where are you going?"

Karin turned around and sheepishly grinned, scratching the back of her head.

"Yo, heh, uhm... You see... I am... Uhm... Going home. Do you need something?

Raising an eyebrow at her, Toushirou answered, "I told you, we're going to talk, didn't I?"

Of course he did. And, of course, she didn't say that she agreed. If playing innocent was not going to work on him, then she might as well let her inner self take over.

"Why are you making a big deal out of it? It was only..." Karin paused, trying to think for the best word to put it in, "...I mean, it is as if that kiss is something that you needed to give much important. It was only an unintentional, meaningless kiss." She made sure to abate the volume of her voice so that no one would overhear.

"Right." Toushirou shrugged. "If it was someone else I could care less, but the fact that it was you, I couldn't help but to make a big deal out of it," he stated in a bottom line approach.

"What the hell are you-"

"Look. Why don't we just settle it this way. It's either you'll come, willingly. Or I would have no other choice," Toushirou cut in. "But to use whatever means necessary - be they are fair or foul."

Karin could tell he was not fooling around. And whatever was that he had in his mind, she knew it wasn't for any good.

"You wouldn't dare," she hissed.

"Try me," he challenged.

Their staring contest last for a minute until Toushirou broke it.

"So?"

"No," Karin stated firmly. What did she care if it was the Karakura High's most influential, most popular student who she was dealing with.

But Toushirou didn't also appear like he would give up, anytime soon. "Very well."

He walked towards Karin, and before the other had the time to ask what he was planning to do, he had already scoop her in his arms and threw her on his shoulder. Now, that wasn't the right way to carry a lass, but Toushirou was sure that Karin wouldn't appreciate it if he did it in a bridal style. Not that she appreciated what he was doing at the moment.

"What the fucking hell are you doing?! You son of a bitch! Freaking put me down! Damn it!" She protested, trying to hit with her feet to get free from his grasp.

Inwardly, Toushirou laughed. So maybe that was one reason why she amused him so much. She didn't have any filter on her mouth. So unlady. But endearing in a way.

"So that what? You can run away from me? No, I don't think so," he said as he walked outside, trying to balance the girl on his hold.

"That's the point! I have nothing to explain to you! Screw you! This is a violation against human rights!" Karin continued to shout her objections. "Hitsugaya Toushirou! We are already drawing a lot of students' attention! Let me go!" Boy, Toushirou really had a strong grip.

"Do I even look like I give a damn? After all, I am already used to attentions. Besides, it's because you couldn't save your beautiful voice for a while that it got their attentions."

"Why you fucking bastard! Don't go all freaking smart ass on me! You gaki! Stupid-"

"Genius," he supplied.

"Yeah right! I am going to kill you for this!" Karin threatened, still kicking.

"Uh-huh, I want to see you try," he said as he put her down, resting her back on the wall and trapping her, with his one hand beside her head. They were already at the back of school building. "Now spill."

"I-I..." Karin blushed. She didn't know. She should really be beating him into a pulp, right now. Killing him like what she said. But she found herself being enchanted on his eyes. They were, no doubt, so poignantly beautiful.

"Uhm... It was only an accident." When Toushirou didn't give any reaction, she tried again. "I was bored?"

This time Toushirou sighed and leaned away from her. "Don't you have any more believable excuse than those? I wouldn't be able to get a decent explanation, would I?" he asked, more to himself.

"I told you I have nothing to explain to you!"

"Then, maybe, I am just going to get it from you some other time." He knew he was only already making a reason to talk to her again. But who could blame him?

Karin's eyes widened at his statement. "Y-you're not yet done? What the hell! Why are you wasting your time with this?!"

He hummed. "Wasting my time. It never came to me that doing the things I am interested at would be a waste of time."

"Are you trying to tell me that you suddenly got interested on pestering me?!"

"No, not really. But I suddenly got interested on you," he answered honestly, as he smirked.

Oh, how she would enjoy wiping that smirk off his handso- ... arrogant face.

"And, sooner or later," he continued. "I'll also be able to get the truth from you." It wasn't a promise. No, it was more of a declaration of a certain event in the future.

"Mark my words." He turned around, raising his hand to do a single wave. "Karin."

Flabbergasted, Karin watched his back as he strode away with so much poise. He was only kidding, that was what she wanted to believe, but in the end, she also doubted if someone like Hitsugaya Toushirou was capable of making jokes.

_Overconfident bastard Toushirou. I hope you trip on your way!_

.

.

It wasn't her lucky day. Definitely, not.

Karin wasn't yet able to step out of their school building when the rain had started to fall. As though, it wasn't already bad enough, when she searched for something inside her bag she found out that she had no umbrella with her, and her phone was out of charge.

"Good grief," she grumbled while standing at the main exit door of the building. She frowned while watching as the surroundings became unclear because of the rain.

When it was sure that the weather was not going to be better soon, she had made her decision. She used her back pack to cover her head and prepared herself to perform her plan - she was going to run up to their house.

"Here goes nothing," she said before she attempted to run fast.

Attempted, she did. Because she was only able to make a single step out of shelter when a strong arm around her middle had pulled her back.

"I believe what you are planning to do is too stupid, lady."

Karin asked herself if when would be the time that she wouldn't be able to hear that voice again.

Freeing herself from his grasp, she whipped around to face him and made sure to convey all her annoyance by looking daggers at him.

"I have to go home soon, you stupid fucking genius! Don't stop me!"

"No can do." Toushirou saw how her glare had become more intense. If only looks could kill. "It's raining, in case you didn't notice. And, we both know that you are not waterproof, Karin."

On the last word, Karin was thinking how on earth, he had easily adjusted from a last name basis of addressing her to calling her base on first name.

"I have no umbrella so-"

"Obviously," he cut, stepping out as he held an umbrella open. "C'mon," he said in a monotone, looking back at Karin.

When Karin gave him a confuse look, he put his intention in more blunt words. "I'll walk you home."

That surprised Karin; reason to be lost for words for a moment. When she was already able to process what he said, she exclaimed, "The hell you can!"

It wasn't new. Of course, being the stubborn Karin, that was already expected.

Toushirou stared at her for a moment, wearing no definite expression, before he sighed. "Fine. Then let's just go back to the choices - you'll willingly walk with me, or I'll bring you home by force. And, when I say by force, I mean I am going to carry you all the way to your house. Which, may I add, I wouldn't mind."

This time, Karin tried to balance her choices. He had already proven it; he's not a man of just mere words. When he stated, the delivery would follow.

Giving him a dark look, "You do not know where I live," she countered.

His answer was only to smirk, and Karin got the warning that he knew what he was doing.

"Damn you," she said before she, helplessly, stepped near him.

They walk side by side under the rain, sharing an umbrella. As they did, Karin made a mental note that next time, she would already think twice, even thrice, before getting under the skin of a person like him who was too impossible to outwit.

* * *

**A/N: There you have it! Hehe, I never realized that this chapter would get this long. I even thought that I wouldn't be able to reach the quota for the length.**

**So, I hope you enjoyed it! Please review. :)**


	6. Just Ordinary Chances

**A/N: Oh shoot! I am not yet dead. Sorry if my updates are slow. You are not upset with me, are you? Yeah, really sorry, but you know how life can be too demanding sometimes. I am already done outlining the whole story and all I only need to do now is to draw the plot for each chapter but it will take time. It will only have fourteen chapters base on my (temporary) story line. For now, at least, and it is still subject to changes.**

**Another thing; I just made a drawing for this story! Now, look at my new cover photo! Look! Just look! Okay, sorry. I know some of you already saw it. Hehe. And, yeah, I also draw a lot. More than I write, actually. The old cover is also a drawing of me but I just wanted to make something, specifically, for this fanfic. :) You can look for me in DA (or just go to the link on my profile) if ya wanna see my other drawings. Heh, but I am a freaking mushroom on that site. I mean, pop-in, pop-out.**

**Ehem... I already talked a lot, didn't I? But, hey! You can't put all the blame on me! You could have just skipped this non-sense author's note but here you are, still reading it. So, yeah, take half of the blame.**

**Alright, alright, you may read now. Have fun!**

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction written by a HitsuKarin-obssessed fan girl, a.k.a, yours truly. I do not profit from it. The Bleach universe and all the characters, except the OC's, are owned by Tite Kubo.**

* * *

"Closer."

Karin glared at the man accompanying her on the way home; her eyes were clearly surmising the probability of him pulling an ill-behaved trick on her. Though, between the two, she was the one who had the greater tendency to do that.

Downpour sound was too coarse that Toushirou's supposedly audible exhale melted into it. He briefly admired the hazy atmosphere before tilting his head to the side to meet Karin's demanding and displeased stare.

"Will you stop doing that?" he said in a nature distinguished from the bragging weather.

That was one thing that Karin found aggravating about him. Here she was, trying hard to keep herself in control though she already wanted to biff his face so bad while him... He was still so collected and all. Seriously, he should have become upset, even to the slightest extent, but no. He was unaffected in spite of her deadly gaze. He'd got nerves!

Dark onyx eyes were almost curtained by lids and lashes on the way they constricted.

"What 'that'?" was her question, lacking warmness.

"You are glaring and scowling too much."

Karin gave him a derisively questioning look. Didn't he realize the irony of that statement coming from him?

"Like you're the one to talk!"

As if on cue, Toushirou frowned. "What are you saying?"

"That!" Karin pointed on his wrinkled brows. "You are always frowning like it is nothing but the most natural thing to do!"

She made her point. Not already wanting to advance far from his original concern, Toushirou diverted his eyes straight on where they were walking and said, "I'll give you this argument. Now step closer."

"And why would I do that?"

"I would think that as obvious, Karin. The umbrella seems to be not enough for both of us because you are distancing yourself too much."

"Then you could have just left me earlier!"

"But I didn't so just come nearer, will you?"

"I don't trust you in any bit." Karin hoped that her response would already be enough to stop him from being insistent. But she underestimated him.

"I am not the one who kissed a random person at a random place, am I?" Toushirou gibed.

Thank gods that the weather made the surroundings dark, or else Karin's face would glow in an obvious, cherry color. Ah, guilty as, subtly, charged. He just needed to pull that on her, did he? Damn him and all his smart ass remarks.

Karin opened her mouth to argue but closed it again as she didn't really have any comeback on that. Refusing to accept her defeat, she stopped walking and folded her arms. Without noticing, Toushirou continued walking and unintentionally left Karin, totally exposed to the rain. He halted when it finally came to his attention that the young woman was no more next to him.

For a couple of times that day, he sighed. He circled and walked back to the immaturely rebelling Karin.

"You'll get sick with what you are doing. Now, c'mon, 'don't be such a child," he said, stopping as near as the rainshade could screen both of them.

"I am not a child," Karin answered back, arms still crossed and countenance set unyielding.

"You are behaving like one."

Karin knew she wasn't exactly as froward as she was acting at the moment. But when it came to Toushirou, she always found the need to carry herself in a childish conduct just to bend him out of shape. Because Toushirou was always successful on acerbating her. So she was still on the process of bearing down to even-hand everything among them.

He wanted her to get near him? Fine, then she would do the opposite. With the plan of copping out from him, Karin grinned.

At that sudden change of her mood, Toushirou was inclined to think that she was planning something not good, again. So he wasn't as surprise as he should be when Karin made a quick shift from his front to his side, a move that could be easily identified as a simple dodging technique in playing soccer.

It was almost flawless. But, apparently, Karin's past experiences weren't still enough to learn her lessons. She did it again. A stupid little mistake of disregarding the tiny details of her scheme and the consequences of it.

"Waa!" She waved her hands as she lost her balance because of the slippery course. Thankfully, her knight in shining armor, who also happened to be the levelheaded bastard whom she was trying to run away from, was always prepared.

Karin found herself being held, both legs were still on graceless angle because of her earlier miscalculation. Toushirou was able to keep her from totally falling to the wet ground by wrapping his free arm on her...

On her...

Good lord, why did she feel like something was pressed on the lower part of her chest?

On that cognizance, Karin flushed again. She immediately pried his arm away from where it was and pulled herself back on her feet.

"P-pervert!" She shouted as soon she faced him.

Now, it was Toushirou's turn to blush. He didn't actually realize where his arm had snaked earlier. "W-w-what?!"

He was just glad that no one was around to hear everything. For Pete's sake, he grew up with a mind which was free from adulterations. As mature as he was deemed because of his careful reasoning, he was still pretty naïve about the stuffs! And here was a woman labeling him as pervert. What exactly did he do to make him one, anyway?

If Karin wasn't embarrassed, herself, she would notice that he already lost his composure because of her accusation. "Y-you... Ah! Never mind! I don't really care if I will totally get drenched by the rain. Now, I am not exactly that dry, anyway, so just leave me alone!" she said before starting to stomp away.

If she thought she was the only one who didn't know how to listen, between the two of them, then she still had a lot of things to dig up about him.

She squeaked, very un-Karin-like, when Toushirou grabbed her shoulder and pulled her close to his side.

"What the hell, Toushirou!"

On purpose, Toushirou ignored her. He resumed his walk, forcing Karin to keep her pace with him, while he was silently muttering about a stubborn, immature woman who didn't have any little gratitude for what he was doing for her.

.

.

Swear, if Yuzu kept grinning like that, her face would split into two.

"Thank you for walking Karin-chan home, Hitsugaya-senpai. I hope she didn't give you much trouble," she said, bowing slightly.

Karin, who just got down from her room after changing her clothes, aimed a warning stare at her twin, but Yuzu just answered it with her usual, deceptively sweet and not-so-angelic smile.

"Don't mention it. And, no, not at all," Toushirou lied.

"It's alright, senpai. You do not need to cover for her. I know my sister very well."

"Thanks, Yuz. You are surely the best and most supportive twin ever." Karin butted in, all words wrapped in sarcasm. "And, you, what are you still doing here?" she asked Toushirou who was sitting on the couch of their living room.

"Mou, Karin-chan. He's being all nice to you and that's the way you're going pay him?"

"Why do I still need to pay him? He's already rich." Karin was aware that her sister wasn't talking about a material thing but her sarcastic self was just in the mood.

"Karin-chan!"

Karin twitched. As dulcet as Yuzu's voice generally was, it still had an appalling effect when set in a reprimanding tone. "Fine, fine! But I didn't ask him to do this for me! He insisted even when I told him to just leave me alone!"

"He was just concern about you." Yuzu placed a hand on her hip. "So you should be more thankful."

It was clear as a bell that they would remain like that for another couple of minutes if the main subject of their entire exchange didn't clear his throat, audible enough, to call back their attention and let them know that he was still there.

When the twins stopped and looked at him, Toushirou stood up. "I think I have to leave now."

If they wanted to argue about him like that, then they could continue when he wasn't present to be all ears on them. He was being ignored, anyway. And, it was very uncomfortable.

"Oh, that's great. Goodbye."

"Karin-chan!" It was Yuzu scolding her twin again. Turning to Toushirou, she smiled apologetically, "Ah, no, Hitsugaya-senpai, please stay for a little while. The rain had just become heavier. So, maybe, you could wait until it calmed down."

Toushirou looked at Yuzu who was smiling at him, then to Karin who obviously didn't like her twin's idea. But, she wasn't complaining.

Glancing at the window, Toushirou thought that the honey-haired Kurosaki twin was right. The rain had become more intense and, at this rate, walking outside wasn't the best idea. It wasn't the time to cast the lots.

For now, he should just be grateful that he was able to bring home the stubborn, raven-haired woman safe. And after all, he already told Matsumoto that he would be home late.

Reluctantly, he sat back. "Sorry for being a bother."

"You should be," Karin whispered, gaining a pinch on her waist, courtesy of her twin. "Yuzu!"

"That's great, senpai!" Yuzu beamed, ignoring her sister. "I'll prepare some drinks. Hot choco or coffee?"

Toushirou wanted to tell her that he was fine even without any of those but based on how Yuzu smiled at him with much anticipation, it was apprehensible that she wasn't going to accept even a friendly refusal.

"Thank you. Tea will do," Toushirou answered politely.

"Tea, then." Yuzu turned to Karin.

"I'll have a hot choco," Karin answered, grinning.

"Alright! Just a few minutes!" Yuzu made an attempt to run into the kitchen but halted when she remembered something. Fronting back onto Karin, she said, "Karin-chan, behave."

That didn't sound nice to the other. "What?!" Karin exclaimed but Yuzu already disappeared to the kitchen. "I am not a dog!"

A smile graced on Toushirou's feature while watching the twins' lovely interaction. It might be really nice to have a sibling, a twin no less.

His abstracted musings was unkindly cut by Karin's voice. By now, he should be used to fact that gentleness was rare on this woman's system.

"Tea? Really?" Karin walked and slouched herself on the seat across Toushirou. "You're such a fifty-year-old."

"And you're such a five-year-old."

Karin wasn't given the chance to rebut when a voice of an adult man, rather full of high-spirited gaiety, was heard on the household.

"My lovely daughters, Karin-chan and Yuzu-chan! Daddy is home~"

Karin sighed and facepalmed. "And here's another ass."

"Ah, Karin-chan, my dear, there you are! Will you give Daddy a hug~"

Everything happened in a blue streak that Toushirou wasn't already able to catch how the older man ended on floor when he attempted to hug Karin. Now, the dark-haired, young Kurosaki woman was standing and glaring down at the man, with her hand fisted.

"I am always telling you to stop trying to jump at me!"

The man lifted his upper body from the floor. "But I just missed my beautiful daughters." He pouted.

"We are seeing each other every single fucking day!"

Toushirou didn't know whether to chisel in or to just keep on watching them. This was, indeed, an interesting family.

"Karin-chan." The man's voice became more serious than earlier when he acknowledged Toushirou, "This handsome, young man here. Is he..."

"No," Karin automatically answered, "Don't even dare to start, old man."

When the older man didn't avert his eyes from him, Toushirou took the initiative of introducing himself. "Hitsugaya Toushirou, Sir," he said and left it like that for he wasn't sure how to put his exact relationship to Karin in a word.

With the used of honorifics, Karin scoffed. It surely didn't fit his father and their family wasn't exactly a big fan of formalities.

"Kurosaki Isshin." The man stood up.

Maybe, it was far better if Toushirou just already introduced himself as Karin's schoolmate, or even a hide-and-seek playmate, than leaving the assumption to Isshin. "Your lady's old man."

The weather was of no use to cool down the hot feeling which crept on Toushirou's face because of Isshin's straightforward statement.

"She's not my lady!"

"I'm not his lady!"

But their simultaneous exclaims wasn't enough to break the old Kurosaki's spirit.

"Masaki! Masaki! Our Karin-chan had already fallen in-love!" Isshin ran to the huge poster of a beautiful woman placed on the wall. "And she had brought us our handsome second son!"

Round, teal eyes watched him, disbelieving. Was this man being serious?

"Ignore him. He had been like that since mom died."

Looking back at Karin, who was seated again and had calmed herself after a fashion, Toushirou whispered, "Sorry to hear that."

"Pfft. Don't be."

"So I suppose, she's the woman on that poster."

Karin grinned. "Yep. Beautiful, isn't she?"

"You have all the right to become smug." Toushirou smiled slightly in return. "Say, you have a brother, don't you?"

"What brought you on that?"

"Second son?" Toushirou said, not totally sure, "Unless, your father was referring to some other guy whom either you or your twin had brought home before as his first son."

Now, that should be expected, this guy had almost always been accurate on his small deductions.

"Yeah, an older brother," Karin answered.

"Hn." Toushirou looked around the house as if trying to find a sign of Karin's older brother.

Noticing it, Karin had easily spoken, "He eloped."

Surprised, Toushirou looked back at her, "Seriously?"

"No." Karin stuck her tongue when Toushirou frowned.

"He's a year ahead of you and he's away to university."

"I see. Then shouldn't I be familiar with him? I mean, I transferred on Karakura High during the last few months of the previous school year and, back then, he should still be in high school."

Karin shrugged. "I don't know but does the name 'Kurosaki Ichigo' rings a bell?"

Toushirou thought for moment then slightly shook his head, "Not a bit."

"Oh, and here I thought he was also popular during his high school years. Where was your attention back on those few months then?"

Where was his attention back then? Oh, right, he was too engaged on watching only one particular Kurosaki during those months to notice the others. But as if he was going to tell her that. So, instead, he shrugged.

"Y'know," Karin started, but stopped and frowned when she noticed something. Something, any which way, was really odd.

Her father's whines had already died down. And, now that she thought about it, everything around actually became silent few minutes after they started their conversation. The rain had already stopped. And Yuzu. She should be back by now or even earlier. How hard could it be to prepare some simple drinks to take her that long?

Slowly and in suspense, Karin turned her head to the side, and the moment she was met by a view which explained the dead air within walls, she groaned.

On the corner of the living room, Isshin was seated on the floor like a kid while grinning at them, and beside him, was Yuzu, tray of drinks on her hands, having that dreamy smile - the same smile pasted on her face every time she was watching those sickly sweet soap operas.

Karin eyed them, glint of annoyance arresting on baby blues. Time would come; she would have no other choice but to clean forget that they were her family.

.

.

"Don't dare to come back here, again." Karin crossed her arms at Toushirou who just stepped out of their house.

"Now, really. You do not know how to show hospitality, do you?"

"I do not give a damn."

"Simple words of 'Be safe on your way' doesn't hurt," Toushirou teased, "Never mind. I will be fine with a simple goodbye kiss."

He smirked as the door slammed in front of his face.

.

* * *

This wasn't how he had expected to see Karin this morning. The soccer club would already start their early practice in a few minutes. Usually, she would be in a hurry now, running and not even bothering to stop to apologize on the other students whom she had just bumped into. But this time, she was still arranging her stuffs on her locker like she was out in space.

Toushirou approached her while her back was still facing him. "You'll be totally late if you keep moving like that."

The glower that he was expecting to get from her was missing when she turned to face him. What made Toushirou worried was the fact that her eyes appeared tired when they stared at him.

"Uh," was Karin's only reply.

Now, that was totally weird. No glare. No irritated frown. Not even her trademark sarcastic countercharges. Something was totally off about her.

Toushirou walked to her and stopped only a foot away. Karin curiously looked at him, and all of a sudden, her eyes widened, noticing that Toushirou was leaning close to her.

Sensation of fluttery tingled from head to toe, her heart pumped in a speed thrice as normal, and her whole body went stiff. She gulped audibly as she felt his forehead touched hers. His eyes were close and his face was dangerously near.

As Toushirou was able to get a feel of Karin's body heat, he frowned. His assumption was right.

Opening his eyes and pulling away, he clearly saw how flushed Karin's face was. But it was already hard to tell whether it was because of what he did or because of her current condition.

"You are burning," Toushirou stated, his eyes were filled with care, "Do you already know that you're sick even before you came here in school?"

Karin bit her lower lip and nodded.

With the thought that it wasn't the right time to scold her, all Toushirou could only do was to sigh again. He gripped her wrist gently. "C'mon, you have to rest at the school clinic, for now."

Shaking her head, Karin answered, "I am fine."

"You're obviously not, Karin." As cool as his tone was, the gravity on it was very discernible.

"But it is only-"

"Will you listen to me and drop your bratty attitude, for once?!" The sudden rose on his voice wasn't planned. The total concern for her had just broken the ice.

Surprised, Karin almost jumped. She looked at him, eyes wide. Toushirou had just snapped at her, and this was one of those once in a blue moon chances where she felt scared, for real.

Realizing what he did, Toushirou covered his eyes with his hand, before running it on his locks, deeply exhaling. "I'm sorry."

When Karin didn't reply, he continued, "I'll just carry you on the way to the clinic." He said and bent down in front of her, leaving no space for any further argument.

Karin stared down at him, still unsure. He seriously got mad at her earlier and she didn't already want to fan the flames. This wasn't like her, at all. But as far as he was always giving that air of authority, all his orders could be able to make her defenseless.

Perhaps, it was also because she wasn't feeling well, Karin leaned down to him without any more words. She pressed herself on his back and wrapped her arms over his shoulders. Toushirou stood up and held her upper legs to still her position.

"I'm sorry," Karin mumbled.

"Hmm? For what?"

"I don't know." And that was the truth. She didn't know why she was apologizing to him, as much as she didn't understand why she felt so comfortable on her position that sleep seemed to be very inviting. There was no doubt that she was on the current state of oddity, because of her temperature hitting high, when she nuzzled her head on his neck and whispered, "You smell so nice, Toushirou."

On the corner of his eyes, Toushirou watched as she fell asleep and her head rested on his shoulder.

"You're really an idiot, Karin," he muttered before he started walking, with the sleeping Karin on his back.

.

.

"Can you please look after her until all my morning classes were done? I'll be back by then."

The meaning of the school nurse's smile was more than just a response to Toushirou's request.

"It is not what you think, Kotetsu-san," Toushirou said, frowning.

"You are worrying too much about her," Kotetsu Isane, the school nurse, stated calmly, "Don't worry I will take care of your Karin-chan, Hitsugaya-kun."

"I told you it is not like that."

Kotetsu smiled again, "But you like her, at least."

Words were not needed to be spoken for the rosy color tinting his face as he looked away was already more than enough to have as an answer.

.

.

On all of his classes that morning, Toushirou's teachers and classmates noticed something about him which was totally unusual. He zoned out for countless times during class discussions. There wasn't anything that could easily distract him on whatever he was doing. But, this time, his focus in class was away. And, no one, except him, was aware that the reason was a certain, sick raven-haired Kurosaki whom he was damn worried for.

Toushirou went straight to the school clinic as soon as his break started and he felt relieved when he saw Karin sitting on bed as he arrived.

"Do you feel better, now?" he asked, placing a hand on Karin's forehead. She still had a fever but not as much as earlier.

"I am perfectly fine." Karin swatted his hand and glared at him.

Sitting on the other side of bed, Toushirou said, smiling at her, "If you are acting like that, again. Then I guess, you're really fine, now."

"Thank you, I guess," Karin muttered, avoiding having an eye contact with him.

"Pardon?" He teased.

"I hate you."

Toushirou didn't answer but remained smiling at her. Karin, noticing it, scowled. "Will stop smiling at me?!"

"Why? I rarely do it and you want me to stop?"

"It's... It's... Just stop it or I am going to wipe it myself."

The ringing of his phone arrested him as to giving his response. He reached for it on his pocket and when he saw the name of the caller, he smiled, his eyes softened.

Pressing it on his ear, he greeted, "Hello, Aimi."

It was the pure sweetness on his voice which forced Karin to listen intently on the conversation though she couldn't hear the person on the other line.

"Whatever you want... Yes, I am free on weekend... Okay. Saturday, it is..." Here, Toushirou fondly chuckled. "I love you too, sweetheart. Bye."

The last statement totally caught Karin off guard.

'I love you too, sweetheart.'

The great Hitsugaya Toushirou, known for being too cold sober, just called someone his 'sweetheart.' Was he possessed by a wandering, hopeless romantic spirit? Or was he the one who was sick, truth to be told? But what needed an explanation the most was the clenching of something on Karin's chest when she heard those words.

"A-aimi? Special someone?" That was a quick assumption, she knew. And she didn't want to sound like she was giving a damn on his personal life, but that was how every word came out.

Toushirou stared at him for a few seconds before shrugging and answering, "Who knows?"

No sign of admission. But the fact that there wasn't also a little give away of denial didn't help to give the assurance that Aimi was far from being someone dear to him.

Karin looked away, her mood was starting to drop for uncertain reason. She didn't already like that Aimi, even she hadn't met her, yet. And, no, she wasn't jealous, she just didn't like her. There wasn't a reason for her to feel jealous, was there? Unless, she liked the stupid genius sitting near her. But, the idea was very absurd.

"Ah, Karin?"

"Now what?!"

Toushirou blinked at her. What's with this woman and all her mood swings?

"You're mad again."

"No, I am not! Now why don't just go to that Aimi of yours and leave me alone!"

The truth was unchanged. Karin wasn't jealous. Nope. Never.

* * *

**A/N: So? How was that?**

**Again, I wanna apologize for my slow updates. I am asking for your patience, guys. Please, hold on a li'l bit more. ^^**

**Who is Aimi? Meet her on the next chapter! Oh, you will surely love her. *evil grins* That is all I can say for now.**

**7th chapter: The Prince's Sweetheart**

**Later!**

**-Rei**


	7. The Prince's Sweetheart

Saturday, 9:00 am

Yuzu watched her sister as the other nestled herself on the couch of their living room.

"Neh, Karin-chan, there's a newly opened coffee shop near here and I am planning to go. Do you want to come with me?"

"Nuh-uh, I am not in the mood."

At her sister's unusual behavior, Yuzu shook her head. "You had been like that since you woke up. What's the matter with you? Did you and Hitsugaya-senpai get into a lovers' quarrel?"

"Haha," Karin mocked-laugh, "very funny, Yuzu." She covered her head with the cushion and her next words became imperceptible for her twin sister. "So much for steer clearing to hear his name."

For she couldn't make a head or tail of why her twin was acting like that, Yuzu decided to just go out without her. "Okay. If you want to sulk here all day, then I'll let you be."

"Just make sure to come back before lunch."

"Hai, hai." Yuzu smiled and walked to the door.

"Take care," Karin reminded her before she could leave.

Few minutes after Yuzu left, Karin was still settled snugly on the couch. The moment she got tired of her position, she sat up, legs were crossed and the pillow fell in between her thighs.

'This day is awfully boring,' she thought staring at the television. Sighing, she walked to the television and turned it on before going back to her previous seat, remote was on her hand.

Switching channels, - weather forecasts, documentary reports, kiddy cartoons, daytime dramas, then back to cartoons - but there wasn't a single TV show which caught her interest.

"Even the TV programs are too boring," she grumbled and pressed the power button to turn off the TV. Carelessly, she threw the remote on the couch's corner.

There were still couples of homeworks that she needed to deal with, but she planned to save it for a later work before going to bed.

After another few minutes of aimlessly wondering and staring on nothing, Karin had arrived into a thought that it was only going to be a waste of her weekend if she would lock herself inside their house all day. With that, she stood up and picked her phone on the coffee table so she could message Yuzu, in case her twin would come back home earlier than her. Her plan was to do the usual - a nice walk at the park.

.

.

Karin was too absorbed on watching the kids playing on slides and swings, and some other people in the park that she didn't notice the time. It was almost lunch time but she didn't feel like going back to their house, yet.

She reached for her phone and started typing her message to Yuzu, telling she was not going to be home for lunch so no need to wait for her. She would just look for a good food stall around to grab something to eat.

Texting, while walking and not watching the way, wasn't surely the best thing to do at the park. But Karin wasn't aware of that fact until her face had bumped into something. To be more specific, a person's shoulder.

"Oh! I am sorry! I wasn't..."

"Watching your way?" too calm, the person had offered, "Not really surprising."

Upon recognizing the voice, Karin automatically regretted giving her apology.

"I am taking back my apology," she said as her eyes finally found the person's face, "It was your fault that you were blocking my way."

"Hn, I am very sorry, Your Majesty," the guy shot back with contemptous mirth while his sea-green eyes were shamming regret for fault "I do not know that you own this place. That and I don't have any right to stand here."

Giving repartees was one of Karin's mastered-skills, but compared to him, she still had a long way to go. And at that unacceptable fact, she gritted her teeth while her other hand curled into a fist. 'Smart ass bastard!'

"Hitsugaya Toushirou." She smiled sarcastically. "Do you really want me to break that pretty face of yours?"

That wasn't a sport reply but, for her, threatening was already better than failing to present any counterargument.

"Ah, I like my pretty face the way it is. Thank you very much," Toushirou answered but displayed no sign of aversion from Karin's warning.

Becoming jaded of their not-really-matured argument, Karin had changed the subject by asking him, "What are you doing here, anyway?"

Abstractedly, her gaze went down, checking the way he was dressed. Gray jeans and black, plain shirt over a collared, azure long sleeves which were rolled above his elbows. The outfit, alone, was not very sophisticated. But nothing was simple if Hitsugaya Toushirou was the one who would put it on.

"...'Like what you see?"

Karin's eyes darted back to his face. The other end of Toushirou's lips had playfully curved up.

"Egoistic jackass," Karin glared. He just always had a way of pissing her off. An artless, yet, dynamic way, at that. "You didn't answer my question."

"Uh-huh," Toushirou looked around before answering, "Waiting for my date."

There was no exact reason as to why his answer had initially reduced her into being speechless. Then, after a while, she was able to summon everything into her mind.

"Oh," she said quietly. "Aimi's her name, I remember." And there was a part of her mind that wished she didn't.

"Right."

Regaining her nature, Karin scoffed when she remembered the way he called that Aimi before, "Sweetheart, really? Pfft. Sugary much?"

Anyone could call him a childish now, but Toushirou could just care less about what other people would think. For all he cared, he was really having lots of fun with his new hobby of riling up Karin. And only Karin. Because he couldn't really imagine himself acting so careless and casual with some other people.

"Someone is jealous," he dropped the statement in a hundred-per-cent-fact manner, knowing it would get on her nerve more.

"You wish, idiot."

"I do," he droned under his breath, and not realizing how he truly meant it.

Karin didn't catch his words and was going to ask what he said when a woman had sauntered to them.

"Hello, Toushirou-kun," the said woman greeted.

Toushirou smiled to her while Karin revealed no expression.

Long hair, with burnt orange color which reminded her of her brother's. That was the first thing Karin noticed. And, she was undeniably beautiful. It wasn't a surprise that she was Toushirou's type.

Moving her gaze from the woman's feature to her figure, a dark brow shot upward.

'Wow, 'got no idea that this smart ass bastard has a thing for a busty woman.'

Too engaged on carefully examining the woman, Karin became oblivious to the two, amused pairs of eyes which were watching her reaction.

"Toushirou-kun," the woman suddenly spoke, "I hope you'll not mind introducing your pretty friend to me."

Karin blinked twice as her eyes returned to the woman's feature.

"Eh?" She pointed a finger to herself, saying, "Are you referring to me?"

The woman nodded and cheerfully hummed in response.

"Oh, Kurosaki Karin." She put on a friendly expression. And before she was able to save her face from appearing stupid, she had already blurted out, "You're Aimi, Toushirou's girlfriend, right?"

Great. Just great. Could it be possible that the ground would just crack open and wholly swallow her? The orange-haired woman was wildly giggling, and Karin knew, she had just made a fool out of herself again.

"She is funny, Toushirou-kun," the woman commented as soon as she stopped laughing.

Rolling his eyes, Toushirou replied, "She is, isn't she?"

"That's good to know," Karin came aboard their exchange. At least, after everything, she could still manage to act like her usual self. "I am a beautiful clown then," she stated sarcastically.

Smiling, the woman offered her hand to Karin, "I am Inoue Orihime. It's nice to meet you, Karin-chan." Karin accepted her hand and shook as Inoue continued, "You got it completely wrong. First, I had only known Toushirou-kun because of my cousin, Aimi-chan."

"Oh," was what Karin could only say.

"And, then, Aimi-chan's not actually Toushirou's girlfriend. Sweetheart, but not a girlfriend," Inoue knitted her brows and pouted, making an impression like she was trying to analyze something, "At least, that is what I know."

"Huh? How is that-"

"Shiro-niichan!" A young, girly voice cut Karin's speaking mid-sentence. The three of them turned to where the excited squeal was coming and was met by little girl, smiling and running to their direction, and a raven-haired, bespectacled man who was walking after her.

Toushirou smiled and bent down when the kid was already near him. The girl jumped at him and wrapped her arms on his neck, giggling. Supporting her small frame with an arm, Toushirou brought her up with him as he stood up.

Still smiling, Toushirou asked, "Did you miss me?"

"Hai, hai, Shiro-niichan," the girl nodded vigorously.

Karin, witnessing the whole scene, gaped at them. She was very sure that she had already seen that kind of sweet and adorable Toushirou before. But as when and where, she couldn't put a hand. And the kid was also, somewhat, familiar to her.

"You do not have any idea how many times she bothered us, saying she wanted to see her Shiro-niichan," said the raven-haired man while fixing his glasses. "I am already getting jealous that she likes being with you more than she does with me."

The young girl looked at the man who spoke while still having her small arms hooked on Toushirou's neck. She poked her tongue, then said, "Uryuu-niichan, I often spend time with you and Hime-neechan so I do not miss you much."

"Is that so?" The man answered and looked around. When he noticed Karin, he paused and stared at her for a few seconds. "If it isn't Kurosaki's younger sister."

"Eh, you know me?" Karin asked.

"Not exactly. I'm Ishida Uryuu," the man introduced, "I and Orihime used to be your brother's classmates on middle school. I just saw you and another girl with Kurosaki, one time. I assumed you're his younger siblings, since I'd heard he has twin sisters. Fraternal twins, that is. So please, correct me if I am wrong."

Another Einstein. Karin wondered if it had something to do with the pair of blinkers that they were wearing. Toushirou also owned one, though he would only put it on every time he was on school and wearing his uniform.

'But, either he is wearing his glasses or not, he still has his unique charm.' Karin blushed and shook her head on that involuntary thought.

"Uh, Kurosaki-san?"

"Uhm, no," Karin immediately answered, "I mean, if you're talking about Kurosaki Ichigo, then you got it right."

"Kurosaki!" Inoue suddenly exclaimed, "Your last name's Kurosaki?! And you're Kurosaki-kun's younger sister?!"

Karin gave a quizzical stare at Inoue, "Uh... I believe, I already told you that my name's Kurosaki Karin."

"Ho!" Inoue thought for a moment, then smiled, "I didn't realize immediately."

At that, Ishida sighed and shook his head. "That's just very much like you, Orihime-chan. Anyway, I think our groupmates are already waiting for us, now."

"You're right, Uryuu-kun!" Inoue looked at Toushirou and the girl on his arm. "You'll be fine with Toushirou-kun, right Aimi-chan?"

The kid smiled widely and nodded, "Hai, Hime-neechan!"

"Sorry for bothering you, Toushirou-kun. We'll just get her at six."

Toushirou answered, "Don't worry, I'll take care of her."

"So we'll just see you later then, Hitsugaya-san," Uryuu said, then looked at Karin, "It's nice meeting you, Kurosaki-san."

"I would love to talk to you some other time, Karin-chan."

Karin grinned. "Likewise."

"We'll walk first." Inoue looped her arm on Ishida's and smiled, before the two of them took their steps away.

When they were already far, Karin turned to Toushirou and the kid. Placing her entwined fingers on the back of her head, she said, "So she's that kid, huh?"

"Yes. Aimi, my sweetheart." To prove his point, Toushirou gave a soft peck on Aimi's closer cheek. Aimi giggled and Toushirou smiled.

While the two appeared like they were enjoying their own, little show, Karin was obviously not entertained. She grimaced. "You're a pedophile, Toushirou."

"Now, am I?"

She had chosen not to reply. Instead, she stared at Aimi. Where did she, first, saw the kid again?

After some while of trying to remember, recognition had finally hit her. Aimi was the little girl who got lost at the same park before. The one whom Toushirou had helped. No wonder, Aimi liked Toushirou very much.

The young girl's dark-brown hair was tied up in two pigtail buns, giving her the real cuteness of a child. Her amber eyes stared back at Karin's dark onyx ones. They were so innocent and Karin found herself drowning into them.

Karin couldn't help but to express tenderness while looking at Aimi. She was really a sweet, young darling.

With Aimi's childlike giggle, the silence ended. "Neh, neh, Shiro-niichan." She pulled on the collar of Toushirou's shirt. "Your girlfriend is jealous of me."

On the second thought, the kid was a witch. A wicked, little witch with invisible flying broomstick.

"I am not jealous and I am not his girlfriend." Karin made a face and dropped her hands on her sides.

At Karin's reaction, Toushirou breathed out. "C'mon, Karin, don't tell me you're also going to put a fight with a kid."

Karin gave a humph which just made Toushirou shook his head. "Child," he soughed, but it wasn't too quite enough to escape from Karin's sharp hearing sense.

"Am not!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

Knowing that he didn't stand a chance against Karin's stubborn attitude, Toushirou stopped and just turned to the young girl that he was carrying on his arm.

"By the way, Aimi, did you already take your lunch?"

Aimi shook her head to give a negative response. "I just had a doughnut with Hime-neechan and Uryuu-niichan earlier."

"Let's get something to eat, then."

Aimi beamed. "I'll walk, Shiro-niichan."

Toushirou smiled and put Aimi down.

Karin was expecting that Toushirou would already leave with the young girl so she just stayed on her spot and didn't say anything. All of a sudden, she felt something warm on her hand. She looked down at it and that was when she saw that Aimi was holding her hand and looking up at her.

"Nee-chan, you'll go with me and Shiro-niichan, right?"

"Eh?" Karin was surprise and suspected that Toushirou had taught Aimi to do that. But when she looked up and found the mixed amusement and surprise expression on Toushirou's facet while staring at Aimi, Karin deduced that he wasn't liable of the little girl's action.

"But I can't..." she would refuse but when Aimi bowed her head and pouted in dismay, guilt had immediately surfaced on her. She sighed in defeat, "Fine, fine, I'll go with you and your Shiro-niichan."

When Aimi looked back at her, the sad mood was no more there and it had been replaced by that bright smile again.

"Yay!" Aimi cheered and tightened her hold at Karin's hand. "Shiro-niichan, Girlfriend-neechan is going with us!"

Toushirou chuckled while Karin grunted and loured at the guy. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"It's not that bad."

"Nii-chan, Nee-chan, are you quarreling?" Aimi asked innocently, looking alternately at Toushirou and Karin.

"We're not, don't worry." Toushirou bent down to the girl's level and ruffled her hair. "And, I think your Karin-nee is not happy on the way you are calling her."

"Eh, sorry. I'll just call you Karin-neechan, then."

"Much better," Karin muttered.

Waving her other hand at Toushirou, Aimi said, "Shiro-niichan, Shiro-niichan, hold my other hand."

Toushirou complied.

Having both Karin and Toushirou on her sides and holding their hands, Aimi cheerfully exclaimed, "Let's go!" She walked and pulled the two.

Toushirou's smile had never left his feature, seeing that his little sweetheart was having lots of fun. While, Karin, who was initially not glad with the idea , couldn't also help but to smile at Aimi's innocence and buoyancy.

.

.

Tacos; Toushirou had discovered that Karin and Aimi could be possible to become best of friends because of it.

Aimi was the one who pulled them on a taco stand, saying she really liked to eat tacos. Karin agreed immediately and upon arriving there, she wasn't already able to conceal her delighted expression from the very moment that they ordered until during the time that they were eating.

Toushirou couldn't really complain for as long as the girls were pleased. He footed the bill for everything, albeit Karin had insisted that she would pay for her own. Toushirou's excuse was simple; Karin came because of Aimi's persistency so being the one who was taking care of Aimi it was just fair if he would bear the expense. In truth though; earlier, Toushirou already had his own plan of making Karin to come with them, and the young girl had just beaten him in doing so.

After filling their stomachs, the trio had decided to take a stroll for a while.

"Shiro-niichan, Shiro-niichan," Aimi tugged at the sleeve of Toushirou who was holding her in his arm again. "Is Karin-neechan mad at you?"

Curious as to why Aimi had popped such question, Toushirou asked back, "What made you think about that?"

Aimi stared at Karin who was walking beside them before facing back her Nii-chan and answering, "Because she is not talking to you."

That guileless observation had made him smile again. He looked at Karin and noted that she was, indeed, keeping herself quite. Even so, he knew that she was listening to them and just pretending not to care.

Messing with the young girl's hair using his hand, Toushirou had decided to play along with Aimi's inquiries. "Really? Do you think your Karin-neechan is mad of me?"

"Hmm-Hmm," Aimi nodded.

"That is not good then." Toushirou feigned sad and boxed up his snicker when he heard Karin snorted and grumbled, "Fucking Best Actor for Kid Shows Award."

Lucky for Toushirou, Aimi was still too naïve to see through his act. The kid pouted to show her sympathy for him. All of a sudden, her face lit up like a good idea had just came into her mind.

"I know what you need to do, Shiro-niichan!"

"I need to do? For what?"

Brightly smiling, Aimi answered, "I know what you need to do so that Karin-neechan will not already get mad at you."

Hearing that, Karin raised a dark brow and became puzzled as to what the kid was thinking. While Toushirou had still went with the current. "Oh, yeah? Let Shiro-nii hear it then."

"Kiss her, Shiro-niichan!"

It would only take a person as collected as him to not drop the kid, he was holding, after hearing that suggestion. While Toushirou had managed not to appear affected, Karin wasn't successful to hold her surprise and she suddenly exclaimed, "No way!"

In the wake of it, Aimi flinched and her eyes widened out of shock. She grabbed Toushirou's shirt collar tightly.

"I... I mean, no need for your Nii-chan to kiss me." Karin waved both hands in front of the kid. "I am not really mad of him. Right, Shi. Ro. Nii?" She smiled while looking at Toushirou, though the smile was nothing but bluff.

Obviously enjoying her act, Toushirou smirked. "Best Actress for Kid Shows Award."

Forget about her desire of punching him in the face. Strangling him, until he was totally out of air, seemed to more appealing. But before she could give a violent response, Aimi had already come in between.

"You're not really mad at Shiro-niichan?"

"Oh, no! I am not." She grinned.

Aimi focused her eyes at her like she was pondering something very important. "If you're not really mad at Shiro-niichan, kiss him then."

Karin's mouth hung agape. Just what the hell was running into this kid's little brain? "W-what..."

"Anyway, Aimi, didn't you say that you want to go to arcade and play?" Toushirou suddenly butted in, trying to bend Aimi's attention.

It seemed to work since Aimi's expression changed. "Hai! We'll play together with Karin-neechan!"

"Sorry. But I have to go home now," Karin said.

"B-but, Nee-"

"I think your Karin-nee doesn't want to go because she's afraid she'll lose to me."

Reverse psychology. It was very blatant. But being a person with too much pride, Karin had easily bitten Toushirou's bait.

"Is that a challenge?"

Toushirou's only response was to shrug.

"If that is so, then bring it on. I can surely run rings round against you, genius," Karin said before walking ahead of them.

Toushirou remained staring at Karin until Aimi had called his attention.

"Shiro-niichan," the kid whispered as if making sure that Karin would not be able to hear what she was going to tell, "I think, I really like Karin-neechan."

Toushirou looked at her in surprise, before smiling and turning back his gaze in front where Karin was walking. Without a heed of his next words, he softly spoke, "Yeah, I like her, too."

**...**

**.**

**A/N: My apology, guys, if this chapter is messy... I didn't use spell check on it because of some problems. I read and checked it, myself, but I might've not able to catch most of the mistakes. Anyway, this part of story with our little Aimi is not yet done, it will be continued on the next chapter (the whole part with her was suppose to have only one chapter, but it had gotten long so I split it into two).**

**So I'd be glad to know your thoughts. Please review.**

**8th Chapter: A lovely pair, an Unplanned Date, and a Little Matchmaker**

**Until next chapter!**


	8. A Lovely Pair, a Date, a Li'l Matchmaker

**[EDITED CHAPTER] : **_**A Lovely Pair, an Unplanned Date and a Little Matchmaker**_

**A/N: Oh, yes, hello. For those who had already seen and read my old chapter 8 update before, perhaps you're wondering what's this. Well, I wasn't exactly satisfied on the way I had written that one. That was a rushed chapter, to be honest. I know some of you had still found that good enough, which I am grateful, but still I thought I shouldn't have been so irresponsible. It's like I never learned.**

**So thereby, I pulled that one out and edited, and well, this one is already much better, I guess. And, longer (hah, I was actually surprised on the length of this new one).**

**And even if you had already read the old one, I'll still suggest you to read this one again. The general idea didn't change, alright, but there are some changes and addition to the sub-details which are possibly related to the later chapters.**

**Speaking of later chapters, I didn't drop by just to give you an edited chapter. I'll let you know that I'm also done writing chapter nine, just doing a li'l bit of finishing touch's. So for now, please read this one and I'll give you the next chapter later.**

**ENJOY!**

**...**

**.**

"Cheaters," Toushirou muttered as he gave a dismayed expression to Karin and Aimi.

After spending more than an hour of playing in the arcade, they ended up walking again, and looking for a nice ice cream shop - being they had gotten into a trifling wager that the loser in the game would treat the winner.

Aimi, wanting to lighten up her Nii-chan, walked near him and reached for his hand. She smiled and innocently said, "Don't feel bad, Shiro-niichan."

Toushirou sighed in a resigned manner. Every time his little sweetheart was smiling like this, he couldn't already find fault at her and he knew he couln't remain disappointed any longer. The kid's smile was just one of his weakest spots. "It isn't exactly that I feel bad, it's just I thought you're with me, sweetheart."

Karin skeptically stared at him when he made an expression in resemblance with a pout. But sure, that was improbable, simply because Hitsugaya Toushirou never pouted. Not a childish one, at least.

After realizing that she was already looking - more like ogling - at his face long enough that she wasn't already able to catch most of the two's conversation, Karin diverted her gaze somewhere and reset her face in an impassive countenance, pretending not guilty of the satisfaction brought by seeing that kind of expression from him.

"It doesn't change the fact that what you and your Karin-nee did is not right." Karin heard Toushirou said to the little kid. The raven-haired young woman couldn't help but to scoff.

"Seriously, Toushirou, just accept it. You lost. I won," she declared proudly, if not too smug. It just felt nice for her to one-upped him once in a while.

"That's the case, not?" a sarcastic question from him. "You cheated, Karin. You and Aimi cheated. Aimi kept distracting me, so I couldn't concentrate on the game and couldn't score over you. And, did it ever occur to you that cheating isn't exactly a good idea to teach to a kid?"

With the intention of jeering him, Karin shammed an amazed reaction on his statement, and cheerfully exclaimed, "That was a golden, one of a hell speech!"

At that childish antic, Toushirou's scowl became more evident.

Karin grinned despite herself. Yes, it was definitely wonderful to win against him, sometimes. "Besides, I did not cheat earlier, dude. That's what you call 'tactic'," she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Amused with what she just stated, Toushirou arched a brow up. "Now, really. Are you also using that 'tactic' every time you're playing soccer?"

Karin gave an expression almost close to horror because of that indirect accusation. "I am not cheating on any soccer game!"

Sure, she was a determined woman, most often than not. She would try everything to accomplish what she had set - sometimes, even by hook or by crook. But cheating on a soccer game? No, that wasn't likely to happen. Just with the idea of considering it alone, she knew she would already end up berating herself. She had much pride and a good reputation to keep that she couldn't possibly cheat in any soccer match.

Toushirou softly smiled, understanding the meaning behind her reaction. It was only a proof of how much she loved playing soccer, hence, she wanted every game to be clean and fair. That was one commendable trait of hers, alright.

On the mischievous side, however, Toushirou could really use that exclaim to turn their word for word game on his favor, once more. At that thought, his smile was suddenly replaced by that familiar smirk.

"Oh? Now, you're admitting that what you did in the arcade is really cheating, huh?"

Karin frowned, noticing that he was starting to get ahead on their argument again. "I didn't say that, stupid genius."

Smirking still, Toushirou said, "You just implied it."

"Whatever, jackass."

The two teens were obviously too engaged on their argument that they almost forgot about their little companion. It was only when they heard a giggle, they remembered that Aimi was still with them.

"They call that lovers' quarrel," Aimi said, smiling, when Toushirou and Karin had finally turned their attentions to her.

Karin's initial reaction was to think that the kid's statement was somehow familiar.

_Did you and Hitsugaya-senpai get into a lovers' quarrel?_

Oh, of course. A line from her (not) very sweet twin sister. And, now that Karin was staring at Aimi, she realized that the kid and her twin were actually similar on a certain aspect - both were witches disguised as angels.

And then, just comprehending that the kid had aimed that statement for her and Toushirou, Karin looked up, frowning, and met Toushirou's somewhat bewildered stare at her. On the look of it, the guy was probably thinking the same thing as she was having in her mind.

"Are you sure this thing is a real five-year-old kid?"

Toushirou chuckled on her choice of referring to Aimi, as he answered, "I am not also sure, honestly."

Catching the meaning of their conversation, Aimi pouted. "Mou, Shiro-niichan and Karin-neechan are meanies."

Karin laughed and bent down at Aimi's level. Toushirou smiled while watching as Karin patted Aimi's head.

"Now, now, little dev-... err... angel," Karin sweetly talked to Aimi, "Shiro-nii and Karin-nee are just kidding. Now, come here." Karin, then, proceeded to wrap Aimi on her arms, and she stood carrying the kid.

"Aww, dear, you're sort of heavy." And Karin wasn't joking on that comment. She looked at Toushirou, wondering how in the hell he had managed to carry this kid with so much ease, considering his lean appearance and average height.

As if reading her mind, Toushirou walked close to them. "Here, let me have her," he said as he took Aimi from Karin. "And, anyway children-"

Karin glared at him. "What children?"

But Toushirou ignored her, "-we have to get moving if you still want your ice creams."

On that reminder, Karin's face lit up, quickly forgetting Toushirou's remark earlier, and Aimi suddenly cheered, "Yay! Ice cream!"

"Now, now, sweetheart. Do you have any idea where we can buy the best ice cream?"

Aimi gave a thoughtful expression for a moment before her eyes twinkled, and she elatedly answered, "Chappy!"

"Chappy?"

Aimi bobbed her head, up and down.

"Eh," Karin spoke, "I think I know where's that ice cream shop that she's talking. It's a li'l bit far here, though."

Toushirou hummed. "I guess I also got the idea where it is. Shall we go then?"

"Hai!" Aimi threw her fist in the air while Karin laughed.

...

The three took the way to the chosen ice cream shop, and throughout the walk, Aimi kept watching at Toushirou, and at Karin who was walking at their left. She looked down at Karin's right hand, then at Toushirou's free hand. After few seconds, she frowned and crossed her arms at her chest, as if attempting to appear intimidating.

Her action didn't go unnoticed by the man holding her in his arm. Toushirou stared at her for a minute, trying to decipher her sudden behavior. When he didn't get any hint, he just decided to ask her, "Is there any problem, sweetheart?"

Aimi pouted and answered, "You're suppose to hold Karin-neechan's hand, Shiro-niichan."

It was another unforeseen statement coming from her. Toushirou blinked in confusion, then looked to his left just to find Karin looking at Aimi while frowning. Perhaps, it was also out of perplexity.

"Why?" Toushirou simply asked as he turned back to the kid.

"Because boyfriend and girlfriend do that. Uryuu-niichan and Hime-neechan do that. Every time we are visiting the zoo or any other place, Otou-chan and Kaa-chan also do that. So, you should also hold Karin-neechan's hand, Shiro-niichan."

"B-b-but, I told you I am not your Shiro-niichan's girlfriend," Karin silently cursed at the fact that she just stuttered while explaining to a kid. "And, he's not my boyfriend."

Here she thought, they were already done on that issue, but the kid was making everything hard for them. Or, maybe it was only for her. Because Toushirou appeared like he didn't have any plan of helping her out of this. He wasn't making any effort, at all.

"You are, too!" the kid insisted, "You're just in denial, but you're a cute couple!"

Karin's jaw dropped. Lovers' quarrel, denial and couple - heck! Did the kid even know what those words meant?

Lost for any better reaction, Karin just scowled and elbowed Toushirou - not too hard, though.

"Say something, damn it!" she hissed.

Much too Karin's irritation, Toushirou just snickered at her action. Apparently, he was enjoying this talk with the kid.

Karin shot him a warning look.

"Alright, alright." Toushirou held up his free hand in surrender. He, then, turned to Aimi, and smiled. "What makes you say that we're a cute couple, sweetheart?"

Of course, that wasn't what Karin wanted him to say, knowing that the kid's answer was just going to make everything worse. And, she was right.

"Shiro-niichan is handsome and Karin-neechan is pretty, is why."

Seeing an advantage to maneuver the topic, Karin scoffed, "Your Shiro-niichan is not really handsome, is he? He looks like a gangster especially with his hair."

"Says the girl who couldn't resist my charm, and had gone to the extent of kissing me in a random place."

Karin glowered at him. She expected that he had forgotten that incident, by now. But he hadn't, yet. And to boot, he had even kept using it against her. The nerves, really!

Fortunately for Karin, the nosy, little kid didn't give an attention on what Toushirou said. Instead, Aimi was like in a deep thought as she intently stared at Toushirou's face.

"Neh, Karin-neechan," Aimi softly said, "Shiro-niichan is a handsome gangster, then."

Karin blinked in initial confusion. After comprehending the kid's statement, she burst out laughing.

"Sweetheart, I am not a gangster." Toushirou frowned.

Karin laughed more, and it was Toushirou's turn to get irritated.

But if Karin was confident that she already won against him, then she didn't realize that their game was still far from over. Toushirou smirked suddenly.

Karin was still laughing, and totally unaware of Toushirou's change of mood. Without warning, she felt something warm on her hand - warmer than when Aimi was holding it. She quickly stopped and looked down at it.

After discovering what it was, she sent an ill-humored stare at Toushirou.

"You are holding my hand," she stated the obvious.

Toushirou looked down at their clasped hands, feigning innocence as he did. "Oh, I am," he deadpanned.

And to make matters worse for Karin, Toushirou had even intertwined their fingers together. He ignored Karin's protest and turned to the young girl.

"So, is it better?" He asked Aimi, referring to his and Karin's entwined hands.

The little kid widely smiled and nodded. "Hai, hai, Shiro-niichan!"

"It is not better, jackass!" Karin complained and tried to disentangle her hand from his.

But, no avail. Toushirou's hold, though gentle, was too firm.

After another few, vain attempts, Karin finally gave up. "Egoistic jackass," she grumbled.

Being the victor of this immature fight, Toushirou had all the right to wear that cocky smirk.

...

They arrived at the ice cream shop after few minutes of walking, and bickering on Karin's and Toushirou's parts. As they got in, Aimi immediately looked for good seats.

"Let's go there, Shiro-niichan!" Aimi exclaimed, pointing at the spot not too far from the counter.

Toushirou walked towards the place, with Karin following after him. By this time, Toushirou had already let Karin's hand go.

Still annoyed of what Toushirou did, earlier, Karin made up her decision of just totally ignoring him.

Toushirou put Aimi down on one of the seats, then looked at Karin who was already sitting across. "I'll just order for you, guys. What's yours, sweetheart?"

"Chocolate ice cream, Shiro-niichan!"

"And, Karin?"

Not really paying any bit of attention to him, Karin didn't answer. She just kept frowning and staring at space.

"Karin?" Toushirou called, again.

Finally, snapping out of her trance, Karin turned to him, her taxed patience was evident. "What? Jackass."

Toushirou raised his brow. Though, it didn't hide his amused expression. "Karin, last time I checked there wasn't such an ice cream flavor. Unless, you really want me for your sweet treat."

At that ambiguous statement, an awkward silence took over.

Non-plussed, Karin stared at Toushirou, while the guy, just coming to realize the implication of his words, gulped nervously.

"P-p-pervert!" Karin sputtered loudly, heat creeping on her face and neck. Tomato red wouldn't even help to describe how flushed she was.

Everyone, who heard her exclaimed, curiously turned to them; much to Toushirou's chagrin.

"I didn't mean it that way!" He yelled back defensively, his face catching up with the color of hers.

"T-then - You - W-what," Karin tried to make sense, but failed.

Toushirou sighed, and just like that, he was already able to calm himself down. "Look, Karin. Just tell me what's your choice of ice cream, and I am going to order it."

Getting what Toushirou was talking earlier, at last, "Uhm, y-yeah," Karin answered, light blush was still on her face. She looked away and muttered, "Vanilla's fine. And, sorry."

"Just wait here," she heard him, before he walked away.

Throughout the entire exchange, Aimi was just silently observing them. As soon as Toushirou left, she spoke, "Neh, Karin-neechan, don't you really like Shiro-niichan?"

Surprised, Karin stared at the kid. She weakly smiled. "You're still too young to understand these stuffs, Aimi."

Aimi pouted at Karin's answer. "I am only asking if you like him."

Sighing in defeat, Karin tried to think what were there to like about the guy.

Stupid hair.

Odd eyes.

Cute... err... stick-ass frown.

Arrogant remarks.

Annoying smirk.

What were really there to like about him?

Karin snorted while thinking. Absentmindedly, she whispered, "I hate him."

But, something on the back of her mind wasn't convinced about her claim. Thinking that it wasn't worth wasting an effort to argue with an imaginary voice, Karin had just chosen to ignore it.

"You love him, then." Aimi's comment snatched Karin back to reality.

"I said I hate him. So how come that I love him, now?"

Aimi nodded to let Karin know that she heard her. "They say, 'The more you hate, the more you love.'"

Karin groaned, seeing no chance of making her argument plain. Ah, the kid could really be a great descendant of Yuzu someday. They were alike on lot of things.

Thereat, Karin remained silent. Maybe, if she wouldn't already talk, Aimi would also stop prying. Maybe, the kid would be able to comprehend that Karin wasn't interested. Maybe, she would give up insisting what she wanted to believe.

"But you know what, Karin-neechan?"

But that was it, everything was just per chance.

"Shiro-niichan really likes you."

Just as Karin was about to say something, someone cleared their throat, effectively cutting the conversation. The girls turned to see that Toushirou had already come back. On his hands were the ice creams. In cups, of course.

Toushirou sat beside Aimi, and gave the girls their treats. "So, what were you saying to your Nee-chan again, Aimi?"

Aimi sheepishly smiled. "Hee, I wasn't saying anything, Shiro-niichan."

"Lying is not good, Aimi. And, I heard you said something," Toushirou said, the endearment was still held on his tone.

"Karin-neechan also lies, though," Aimi reasoned out. "And, if you heard what I said, then why are you still asking?" She poked her tongue, before grabbing her spoon and scooping her ice cream.

Half-surprised, half-amused, Toushirou stared at Aimi. Then, he turned to Karin with the same expression. "I just left the two of you for few minutes and she already acquired your behavior."

"Shaddap," Karin shot back, spoon was carelessly put on her mouth, "Vha kivsh phwacticawy yov photéjzé sho- Hey! My spoon!"

"Will you mind talking without this thing on your mouth?" Toushirou irritatedly asked as he was already holding Karin's spoon.

"I was saying that the kid's practically your protégé so it's most likely that she learned the stuffs from you!" Karin shouted as she snatched the spoon back from Toushirou.

"Hn. Anyway, Aimi, you said your Karin-nee also lies. Why did you say so?"

Karin paused and looked at Aimi. Spoon, once again, shoved on her mouth, she eagerly waited for the kid's reply to Toushirou's question.

"Because," Aimi glanced at Karin, then looked at Toushirou with a wide smile, "She said she doesn't like you. But, I know she does."

Karin choked, while Toushirou made an audible clearing of his throat - it wasn't because he was choking like Karin, but because he was trying to restrain himself from laughing.

"I also know that she likes me," he casually stated, after the succesful slaying of his laugh.

Karin narrowed her eyes. "It's not going to be my fault if this ice cream, that I am eating, suddenly came in contact with your pretty face."

Never really the type to shrink away from the woman's threat, Toushirou smirked - one which was too conceited for Karin's taste. "Uh-huh, but you do not need to repeatedly mention my pretty face just so I can get the message across. It's clear that you're charmed with it, alright."

With the last straw broken, Karin threw her spoon at Toushirou, aiming his face. Unfortunately, Toushirou easily caught it before it would come in contact with the original target.

"You have to do better than this, Karin," Toushirou said as he lightly tossed the spoon back at her.

Karin caught it, and glared at him. "Saying, yet, again, 'egoistic jackass.'"

Toushirou didn't reply while Aimi, who was watching everything, gave a high-pitched laugh. Hearing her laugh, Toushirou turned to Aimi and noticed the little amount of ice cream smeared on the kid's cheek.

Failing to find a napkin tissue, Toushirou took out his handkerchief from his pocket and used it to tidy the kid's face. "There, there. Must you really eat your ice cream this messy, hm?"

"Heh, thank you, Shiro-niichan," Aimi beamed, and Toushirou lovingly smiled in return.

He turned his attention back to Karin. She was already looking to the side, her brows were knitted and her lips were set in a pout. She was still holding the spoon and the head of the plastic utensil was pressed on her lower lip. A pondering kid - that was the impression that she was giving.

Toushirou sighed as he saw the little remains of ice cream near her lips. Yeah, Karin was definitely a kid.

Before his mind could even process his next action, Toushirou had already reached across to wipe the ice cream beside Karin's lips. "And, you are saying that you're not a child," he softlly said.

Surprised, Karin just blankly stared at him. After realizing what he had done, she glared. "I have two, perfectly fine hands capable of wiping it, myself. And I am not a child."

"So I've noticed," was Toushirou's monotonous comeback.

"You-"

"Oh, so what do you know?"

Karin inwardly groaned. Just what the hell was wrong with people today? They were always cutting her off every time she was speaking or was about to speak.

"It is really you, Prez."

Three heads turned to the speaker just to be met my a auburn-haired woman who was flashing a sweet smile at them.

Scratch that. She was only flashing a sweet smile at Toushirou.

"Sano-san," Toushirou nodded in acknowledgement. He was back with the same expression which everyone was too familiar with - a natural frown and a blank stare.

Karin was very sure that she knew the woman. Heck, yeah, of course! After all, who, among the Karakura High students, didn't know her?

And, if anyone would ask Karin who the woman was, her answer would be simple; Sano Misty. The Student Council Vice President. Self-proclaimed Karakura High Princess. The only independent Hitsugaya fan. Pretty, smart, social climber and a certified bitch.

"I just passed by, and saw you."

"More like you're stalking him on purpose," Karin silently muttered. Good thing, Sano didn't hear it. Though, Aimi did, and the kid gave Karin a meaningful smile upon hearing it.

"So you're here because?" Sano continued talking sweetly, oblivious to the distant air that Toushirou was giving her. Finally, tearing her gaze from the guy, she noticed his two companions, but focused mainly on Karin. "If it isn't the Karakura Soccer Club's only rose, Kurosaki Karin." She smiled.

Karin also nodded in response but she didn't return her smile. Why bother? After all, she knew very well that Misty didn't like her that much, considering the fact that they were two of the most popular females in their school. Karin was never the one to give a damn, but Sano was always the competitive bitch when it talked about fame.

"Yeah, Sano-senpai, it's good to see you here."_ Not._

Sano stared at her for a while before her sweet smile had changed into an insulting smirk - the bitch's trademark. She turned back to Toushirou. "So my guess is you were here first, Hitsugaya-san, then Kurosaki-san here suddenly came and pled to share the table with you. It must be a pain being so popular, sometimes, right?"

"Wow, you are talking like I am not here to hear you, Sano-senpai." Karin glared and put on a sarcastic smile. "And, are you implying that I am one of those bitches who would die vying for this smart ass bastard's attention?"

Sano shrugged. "Well, it will not be surprising if you really are. Hitsugaya-san has lots of fans, after all." She shook her head. "Pathetic. All are just desperate, and will do anything just to be noticed by him."

"Oh, right," Karin cooed and rolled her eyes. "Take for example, they will just suddenly walk to him, uninvited, and will try to talk to him, even if the guy's obviously not interested."

Sano narrowed her eyes. "I am not like that."

Karin raised a brow, daring the other female. "I didn't even mention a name. Defensive much?"

"Bitch."

"Says the bitch of all the bitches, herself."

"You're-"

"That's enough." A firm voice cut through their argument.

Karin's head shot on the direction where the voice came. "Oooh, that was so stunning, Hitsugaya-sama," the raven-haired woman taunted, "You finally found your voice. I thought you're just going to watch there all day and enjoy the show, as if this thing doesn't concern you, at all."

Toushirou sighed. "Karin-"

"Seriously, Hitsugaya-san. You shouldn't really go near this brat. I mean, see, she doesn't even know how to show respect to other people."

Again, Toushirou took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and opened them again before speaking, "To receive respect, it must be given. That's basic, Sano-san. And, I believe you didn't show any respect to Karin, first. So why were you expecting to get some from her in return?" Any hue of resentment wasn't given away, just plain indifference.

"Y-you're taking her side?" Sano asked, wide-eyed.

"I'm taking neither's side. I was just expecting you to act more controlled than her, Sano-san. You should know better since you're her senior, and a student leader, at that. But, what you did is a big let down."

His last statement stung. But, it didn't stop Sano on glaring daggers at Karin. Too unfateful, dark look wasn't exactly that lethal.

Sano gave a last challenging look at Karin, clearly implying, 'We're not, yet, done,' before she stomped away without saying any more words.

Karin whistled as she watched the retreating woman.. "That was rude, y'know?"

Rolling his eyes, Toushirou chided, "I just saved her from leaving with a broken face, courtesy of you."

He looked at his side and saw Aimi staring intently at them. Oh, yes, she was almost forgotten.

Her spoon was still on her mouth while she was holding its other end. Her eyes were unblinking. She stayed like that for the next few seconds.

Toushirou and Karin stared at her, curious at what she was doing or thinking. After not too long, she wildly giggled. "Karin-neechan was jealous!"

"Hey! I was not!"

"Right. Aimi, your Karin-nee wasn't jealous," Toushirou said flatly.

Karin and Aimi looked at him, both were surprised that he agreed with Karin.

"...Just overly possessive."

Aimi giggled more.

While, the next thing Toushirou knew, a plastic cup and spoon had finally hit his head. And, he was just thankful of the fact that the cup was empty.

.

.

They were waiting for Inoue and Ishida in front of a department store not too far from the ice cream shop which they visited, earlier. Toushirou was carrying Aimi, again.

"Neh, neh, Karin-neechan if you really don't want to kiss Shiro-niichan, kiss me instead, then."

"Eh?"

Aimi smiled. "Because I want a souvenir from both of you. Kiss me here," - She put a finger on her cheek which was facing Karin - "and, at the same time, Shiro-niichan is gonna kiss me here," she said as she poked her other cheek which was close to Toushirou.

Karin blinked, but then, she grinned. "No problem, sweetie."

"You up, Shiro-niichan?"

"For you, sweetheart."

Aimi's smile widened even more. "Yay! So then, in count down of three, Karin-neechan and Shiro-niichan is going to kiss me!"

"Okay. Three."

Toushirou smiled in amusement.

"Two."

With Aimi in Toushirou's arm, Karin was required to stand on her tiptoe to reach the little girl.

"One!"

Karin and Toushirou leaned forward, at the same time, to give a smack on either side of Aimi's face which was respectively assigned to them.

Toushirou paused shortly, sensing something suspicious on this idea.

And, his instinct was right, for Aimi did an unexpected thing. She leaned back, getting out of their faces' ways. Karin's kiss, which was supposedly aimed on the kid's cheek, almost stumbled straight on Toushirou's lips.

Luckily, Karin was able to stop herself right before her lips would totally crash with Toushirou's. Though, not too lucky, since their faces were still in a very dangerous proximity - one small movement, and their lips would surely brush against each other.

Out of shock, Karin didn't back away immediately. She stared at those teal eyes, and on the look that they were giving, Karin could tell that Toushirou was smirking.

Wait. He was smirking? Fuck! He was aware of the kid's plan? And, he didn't do anything to stop it?

Karin wasn't already able to have a further thought about it, when she heard-

-a shutter sound.

She quickly moved away from Toushirou, and looked at Aimi, who was already laughing and holding her phone.

Oh. No. Aimi didn't... She didn't take a snapshot of her and Toushirou's near-kiss, did she?

"This is a wonderful remembrance," Aimi giggled as she covered her mouth with her hand.

"Hey!" Karin exclaimed and snatched Aimi's phone. She looked at the image on the screen, and couldn't help but blush when she saw and realized how close their lips really were, earlier.

Muttering some curses, she randomly tapped the keys, and pressed 'delete'.

Confident that the evidence of the incident was gone, Karin sighed in relief, and turned back to Aimi. She frowned and returned the kid's phone. "Here."

Aimi accepted it with a wide smile. "I'll tell you something, Karin-neechan. Even if you deleted the picture, it's alright. Because I already sent it to Ran-neechan."

Toushirou scowled after he heard the name. Now, why did it ring a bell?

"Ran-neechan? Ran-" He paused, and his eyes widened as he looked at the little kid in his arm. "you mean... Rangiku?"

Aimi slyly smiled in confirmation. The kid had already met Matsumoto and Hinamori, since she had often visited Toushirou at his house.

Expression of horror formed on Toushirou's face. Knowing Matsumoto and Hinamori, the photo was going to be a prop to tease him more, for sure. He would be damned!

Toushirou and Karin could only stare at Aimi. Both of them were dumbfounded on everything she did. Aimi was really good, and far smarter than they gave her a credit.

A very important note to themselves: Never ever underestimate the matchmaking skills of a kid. Especially, the one with a dark-brown hair in pigtail buns and innocent amber eyes.

.

.

6:15 PM

Remarkable; if Toushirou and Karin were to describe how they found this day, the word would perfectly fit. And if they were to give the reasons, no doubt, it would fall only into a single name - Aimi.

"That kid's one of a kind," Karin spoke under her breath while watching as Aimi walked away with Inoue and Ishida.

Toushirou slightly smiled, looking at the same direction. "You can say that again," he agreed. Looking around, he noticed that it was already dark. _'Time runs fast when you're having fun,' _he mentally noted. "C'mon, Karin, I'll walk you home."

"I'll be fine," Karin automatically replied. And, why wasn't Toushirou surprised on her answer?

"No, you-"

"No, no. Really, I'll be fine. Yuzu texted me that she's in a grocery shop near here, with Dad, so I'll just look for them. Besides, you should worry about yourself more. I mean, my house is only a few blocks away from here, unlike yours," Karin explained. And, as an afterthought, she quickly added, "Not that I care about you."

Though he wasn't completely sold on the idea of letting her alone, it was obvious that Karin would remain resolute on her answer. In addition, he had no solid excuse, this time. He sighed, "Fine."

Karin turned away from him and waved a hand. "So long." But, she was only able to make three steps when a grip on her wrist made her halt.

Knowing that it was only Toushirou, Karin put on an irritated face before turning to face him back. "Seriously, you have to-"

She stopped suddenly, and froze when she felt that something had pressed themselves on her forehead - it was warm and soft.

Karin tried to peer up. Sure enough, the thing was none other than Toushirou's lips.

But, before Karin could react at that contact, Toushirou pulled away and leaned near her ear. "I know it's kind of useless to remind you this, given you're really reckless, sometimes. But still, at least try, to keep yourself safe on the way, yes?"

Karin was, once again, grateful that the surroundings was dark enough to hide her burning face. "Uhm...uh," she managed to answer.

As soon as Toushirou let go of her wrist, she immediately walked to get away from him.

"Wait, Karin."

"Now, what?" She scowled to cover her already- obvious discomfort.

"I believe, you're suppose to walk on this way," Toushirou said, pointing to the direction opposite to the one Karin was about to take.

"I-I know that, of course, genius," she lied before running on that direction.

Toushirou watched as Karin tried to get far from him, as soon as possible. He put on a worried frown, seeing that the Kurosaki woman had just bumped into a sign post.

"Will she really be alright?"


	9. Expect the Unexpected

_**PLEASE READ!**___** Heh, nothing important**** really. I just wanna remind you, guys, if you haven't caught my update for the edited version of chapter 8, yet, which I just posted, earlier, then I'll suggest you to go back, to that first (chapter 8, I mean), before reading this. We don't want anyone to get confuse after reading this chapter, now do we?**

**But, if you're done reading that, then, you may continue this one now. :)**

**I edited it on my phone while playing cards with my family, so if you found any poker-term here... Heh, kidding, kidding! Okay, you may read now.**

**ENJOY!**

**...**

**.**

Sunday, 8:30 AM

Her brows had almost come into conjunction with one another, her lips were pulled down in a scowl. Even the greatest artist in the world would give up trying to paint that clouded face.

The raven-haired Kurosaki teen was sitting under a tree, and looking at the nearby soccer field. She had gone here early, bringing her soccer ball and with the plan of turning herself aside from thinking (yet again) about a certain, smart ass bastard. But upon arriving at the place, she realized that she was (surprisingly) not in the mood to play.

She pulled her knees near her chest, and hugged them. Still, the action didn't help to veil the grotty air on her.

If only it was on the cards to obliterate a person through one's imagination, then that conceited genius had been wiped from the face of the earth for a long time. Damn him for being too cross-grained and overbearingly proud, that he would refuse to take himself off even on her mind.

Her frown deepened if that was possible, as her mind got sidetracked on the episode yesterday before they parted. She thought she had already shaken off her constant - and involuntary, may she point that out - thinking about him after the confrontation about the (accidental) kiss. But, because of what he did yesterday, that unwelcomed habit was starting to happen, again.

The feel of his lips pressed on her forehead didn't go away easily. In fact, that particular part in between her brows and hairline was still feeling oddly warm.

Damn him. What did he know, thinking that it was just fine to kiss her like that?! Even if it was just in the forehead, and could mean nothing, still... How dare he assumed that he could just do anything that he wanted?! And, why did he do that, in the first place?!

"Stupid genius," Karin grumbled and glared, forming a mental picture of the white-haired guy in front of her.

"It's not even a day since we last saw each other, and you already miss me?"

Mention the bastard, and he would surely appear.

If Karin was like the most typical girls, she would have already squeaked in surprise. But, it was a known fact that making a brief thin, shrill cry wasn't Kurosaki Karin's thing. She never squeaked - except that one time when it was raining, though Karin would still refuse to put that in count.

She turned her head to the side and looked up, a deep frown all-set on her feature. As expected, all she only got was a regaled stare from him in return. "Don't you think it is still too early to ruin my day? What? Are you stalking me, now?"

In lieu of taking offense on Karin's accusation, Toushirou just chuckled and asked back, "Is it only me, or someone had really gotten up from the wrong side of the bed?"

"Well, news flash!" Karin announced, almost in an exaggerated manner, "I wasn't actually able to catch any sleep so I was awake all night. And, I got up from the center of my bed, thank you very much."

Toushirou smiled. Only Kurosaki Karin could manage to effortlessly slip a sarcastic reply despite being in a foul mood.

Without saying any more words, he sat down next to her.

"What are you doing here, really?" he heard her spoke, and he was just relieved that her voice was free from strife, this time.

"I am not stalking you," was his answer to her earlier question. "The truth is, I don't even know that you're here until I heard you said my..." he paused, thinking how to call that name she had given him, "Uh, stupid genius... I don't even know if that's intended for insult or flattery."

"The former, jackass," Karin replied before asking, once again, "So what are you doing here, then?"

Looking straight at the soccer field, Toushirou simply answered, "Just thinking stuffs."

"Yeah, that really helped." And Karin's voice was back to the usual, satirical drift. "As if, you can't think stuffs inside your house, or some nearer place."

Toushirou had chosen not to answer. After all, it wasn't, as if, he was telling a lie. He just really came here to ponder.

But his action had just made Karin more irritated. She glared at the man. "You might, as well, want to answer me."

Still, no answer.

"Fine. Be that way. I mean, dumb, so long as you want," she hissed, before returning her attention to the soccer field.

She gritted her teeth, aggravated at the presence of the man next to her. He just appeared here to make her already-bad day (still, because of him) worse.

If he really wanted to remain silent, then that was alright with her. In fact, it would be a lot better if he was not already going to talk forever! For all she cared!

Sensing that she was already seething inside, Toushirou sighed, and finally spoke, "I told you I only came here to think about some stuffs."

"Like I would believe," Karin mumbled.

"That's the truth, though."

"Sure that is."

Toushirou sighed, again, "Why are you so stubborn?"

"Am not," Karin whispered as she rested her cheek on her knees, facing the direction opposite to where he was.

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

There was a momentarily silence, and Karin thought he had already given up like before. But then, she heard him.

"Yes. You are, too, Karin."

Karin brought her head up and lowered at him.

Toushirou was smirking again. The bastard!

Instead of making a further argument with him, Karin had decided to just bring the original subject back. "So, will mind telling what are those 'stuffs' which you are thinking, then?"

Toushirou's expression went back to being hollow. That was when Karin caught on that maybe it was something really pressing, and that she was already trying to step beyond the border line.

She mentally slapped herself for being so careless and insensitive. Of course, even she would look for a good place to unwind every time she was having some weighty problems.

"Uhm, sorry, maybe you-"

"No, it isn't like what you are thinking, really," Toushirou suddenly cut her off, "Actually, I am thinking about..." he paused, contemplating if it would really be fine to tell it to her.

"About?" Karin asked, urging him to continue.

For the third time since he approached her this day, Toushirou sighed. After another few seconds of deliberating over, he finally answered, "I am thinking about you."

Any possible answer was anticipated by Karin. Anything but that one. So no one could really blame her when her initial reaction was just to stare at him, giving herself the time to absorb his words.

At last, the whole statement sunk in her mind. She narrowed her eyes. "What kind of bullshit are you trying to pull, this time?"

She stood up, clenching her fist. She had had enough of this guy's stupid diversion. Maybe, it was time to make it clear that she wasn't up to play his own game. This had to end now. At this very moment. At this exact place.

But, Toushirou didn't even stir on her reaction. Still sitting and focusing his gaze on the play area, he nonchalantly asked, "What do you mean?"

"Has it still something to do with that stupid, unintentional kiss? Is it your way of getting back at me for that?! Bugging me? Annoying me on every chance you could?!"

Toushirou remained unfazed.

"I already asked you this before, and I am going to ask you, again," Karin continued, "Why are you still wasting your time with this? Why couldn't you just forget that incident?! That's your first kiss, so big deal! But, seriously?! Don't you think it it is already too much?!"

When Toushirou still didn't answer, Karin shouted in frustration, "Answer me! Damn it!"

Toushirou glanced up at her with the same self-contained expression. Karin had just answered it with an angry stare.

"And, I thought I already made it clear to you before. I am not wasting my time with this since I am not the kind of person who'll push something which, I know, is not worth pursuing. And, no, it isn't because it was my first kiss. I don't give a damn about such trivial things."

"Then, why-"

"Because it was from you. Even that, I believe, I had already told you before."

Karin clenched her fist tighter, not at very least convinced on what he was saying. "No. Don't give me that bullshit. Why don't you just stop this stupid game of yours? Just stop acting upon your so-called 'interest' on me, will you? Hell, just stop playing around!"

Toushirou picked himself up to face Karin better. Casually putting his hand on his pocket, he answered, "I do not know what you're saying, Karin. As far as I am concerned, everything's not just for mere entertainment. I am serious about you."

"W-what are..." Karin inwardly winced at her failure to form a decent sentence, "W-why... Why are you really doing all these?"

Toushirou stared at her for a while. Returning an equal fierce gaze, Karin detected how serious those teal eyes had already become. They were like silently speaking to her, telling that whatever the guy was going to say, she had to believe.

The answer on her question wasn't given right away. Toushirou had made sure to pause for a minute or two - enough time to kill down every little noise around so that she would be able to clearly hear his next statement; enough time to calm herself so that she could easily grasp every word.

And, when he was positive that there was already no obstruction on succesfully sending his message to her, he had spoken the answer for her pending question.

"I like you." And each single word only shouted sincerity. Teal eyes were unblinking, no single syllable was out of the line.

Toushirou knew, it was entirely different from the time when he told Karin that he got interested on her. He was only trying to figure out his feelings that time. But he had already given a careful thought on that. That was why he was here, in the first place.

He was very much sure, now. He liked her, and there was no particular reason behind. He liked her, simply because she was Kurosaki Karin.

"That should already be obvious, Karin."

Karin's mouth hung open in attempt to say something. In the end, what she was only able to do was to stutter again. "You - W-what - You're - T-this - This is a joke - R-right?"

Unconciously, she took a step back. There was something weird on the way he was looking that made her suddenly nervous - a grim hunter to an unguarded victim.

"Why don't you answer it yourself, Karin. Do you really think it is only a joke for me?" Taking a step forward, Toushirou continued, "Since, I already answered your question, then it's your turn to answer mine."

She stepped back again. He stepped forward.

"So how about you, Karin. When are you going to stop playing hard to get?"

"W-what?!" As much as she wanted to raise her voice, the quake on it had betrayed her. "I am not playing hard to get?! A-aren't you just too confident that you can really get me?" Karin bit her lower lip, realizing that something didn't sound right on her question.

"An understatement," Toushirou put that arrogant smirk again. Yet, it didn't help to set off the seriousness on his eyes. "Why don't you just give up as early as now?"

Karin took another backward step, and her eyes suddenly widened when she felt her back met the trunk of the tree. Wonderful, she should have checked where she was going to end up.

Toushirou advanced. He stopped a foot away and pressed his hand on the tree trunk, beside her head. Leaning near her ear, he whispered, "You have nowhere to run now."

Karin blushed at the feel of his hot breath. "No shit, Sherlock."

"Are you afraid that, maybe, I am right? That I can really make you snap?"

Karin made a displeased sound, hearing his questions.

This was hopeless. Never had she been so spineless before. If he was another guy, she had already kicked or punched his face. But Toushirou was different. On the way he spoke with air of command, and the way he moved with so much certainty, she felt like she couldn't do anything but act like a coward. His gaze was like putting her under a spell, making her whole body paralyzed.

Sea-green eyes fixed themselves on the dark onyx ones. An intense stare which sent an odd, tingling feeling to Karin, and she felt that her face had just become hotter.

Toushirou brought up his other hand to lightly touch Karin's cheek. "You're really cute when you're blushing," he whispered as his thumb smoothly brushed on the soft skin of her face, as if trying to wipe the blush.

"W-what's wrong with you?" Karin asked, ignoring every weird feeling creeping on her whole body.

Toushirou's gaze focused shortly on her eyes before it went down; he lightly pressed his thumb on her lips, at the same time. "Right," he breathed, looking earnestly at her lips, "What is wrong with me?"

Karin's dark eyes went into an almost-impossible size, noticing that Toushirou was leaning closer as his own eyes were slowly disappearing under the lids.

The fuck. Was he... Was he going to kiss her? And why wasn't she doing anything to stop him?! No, actually, she was desperately trying to do something, but she couldn't order her hands and feet to move.

Karin swore she could already hear the sound of her heart beat whereas her breathing was put on hold. She firmly pressed her back against the trunk, as if attempting to dissolve herself into the tree just so she could escape from Toushirou. But sure, that was beyond the bounds of possibility, so in the end she was left with the choice of just tightly shutting her eyes close and waiting for the thing to happen.

Three seconds.

Four. Five.

Nothing came.

Karin's brows knitted in confusion.

Six. Seven.

She still didn't feel anything.

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes to know what was happening. She didn't see anything, except for Toushirou who had somehow leaned away from her.

He was looking at her, teal eyes were bright. His curled hand was near his mouth, and behind that, Karin could see he was smiling.

No, it was more like he was laughing, and only trying to hold it.

"What in the hell..."

On that statement, his chuckles followed.

"Y-you..."

"I - I am - sorry - Karin," Toushirou uttered in between his laughs, "I thought - I just thought - your reactions - it was - they're so - adorable."

Karin's face flushed in mixed embarassment and anger. "You!" she shouted, and out of total annoyance, her fist reflexively acted and aimed a punch on him.

Wrong move. For Toushirou had easily caught it, and used the chance to pull her close to him. Too late, when Karin noticed that she was already enclosed around his arms.

Toushirou smiled at her. Karin noted, it wasn't the same to the arrogant smirk that he was always flashing at her. This smile was almost close to the one he had given to the people he endeared, like Hinamori and Aimi. And, still, something was at odds.

Before Karin could do a violent action to free herself from him, he had softly spoken and it made her stop.

"But I mean everything that I said. I like you, Karin. I really do."

Toushirou sighed before unwrapping his arms from her. As much as he wanted to stay longer, he didn't have the whole day for himself.

"Matsumoto told me to be back home early," he said, as though Karin really needed, or at least wanted, to know it, "So I'll just see you tomorrow at school, hm?" And as simple as that, he turned away without even waiting for her reply.

Karin could only watch as he took a hike, going up to the main road.

It was only when he was totally out of sight, Karin realized that her whole body was shaking. And, as soon as she noticed it, her legs caved in and she fell sitting to the ground.

Her eyes were wide, looking straight to the direction where he disappeared. Her lips were slightly parted. And, there was no logic as to why her heart was abnormally beating fast; at the same time, her breathing was ragged, like she had just run fifty laps.

"What the hell," she managed to drone under her breath. She felt like her face was just taken out of fire.

_'You're really cute when you're blushing.'_

_'Why don't you just give up as early as now?'_

Someone tell her she was was only dreaming! A guy had just flirted to her. Normally, she wouldn't be surprised since she had already put up and kicked a bunch of assholes who had showed an interest to her.

So what was the difference with this one guy? He was Toushirou. The one Hitsugaya Toushirou for crying out loud! Who would have really expected him to do something like that? Who would have thought that he could be that forward? No one, in their right mind, would say that this was for real! Heck, did the guy even know how to flirt? No! That was just totally absurd!

_'When are you going to stop playing hard to get?'_

Karin cringed as the memory came back. No, it wasn't true. She would eventually wake up from this dream. Yes, that was it! Because nothing about this was making any sense.

_'Are you afraid that, maybe, I am right? That I can really make you snap?'_

No way. She wasn't afraid of anything. It was just... It was too impossible. A person as grave in character as Hitsugaya Toushirou would not waste his time to these.

_'I am not the kind of person who'll push something which, I know, is not worth pursuing._

He was a guy with a large number of females vying for his attention. As easy as saying one-two-three, he could get anyone of them if he wanted to, and the lucky girl wouldn't already have anything to say.

He was a student leader. A genius. He was talented. A good soccer and kendo player. He could be anything he wished.

His family was rich and influential. He could get everything he desired.

With those given, he had already lots of choices to make himself occupied. He had practically everything to him. He couldn't already ask for more. He was already busy with all those stuffs. So he didn't already have any time to look at other things, right? Especially to those which were less valuable than what he already had.

And it couldn't be true that she was really able to catch his attention that way, right? The chance was totally squat!

_'I do not know what you're saying, Karin. As far as I am concerned, everything's not just for mere entertainment. I am serious about you.'_

And why her?

_'I like you.'_

_'That should already be obvious.'_

Why not any of his fans? Why wouldn't he just spend all his time with the more 'precious' people, activities, or what nots?

Anyone. Anything. So why her?

_'I like you.'_

Karin shook her head, attempting to get rid of those thoughts. Maybe, Toushirou was up to something. Because then, what was his excuse?

_'That should already be obvious.'_

A prank. That was the only possible reason.

_'Why don't you answer it yourself, Karin. Do you really think it is only a joke for me?'_

_'As far as I am concerned, everything's not just for mere entertainment. I am serious about you.'_

Karin leaned on the trunk. "Damn it, Karin!" she harshly whispered in frustration. "Why are you acting like this! It's not as if you're really going to let him do whatever he's planning to do!"

She sighed. This was pathetic. She shouldn't really let his words affect her so much. She shouldn't have cared. Toushirou could chase after her as long as he wanted, and she shouldn't give damn! Because the guy didn't have any effect on her! No. Not ever!

_'When are you going to stop playing hard to get?'_

_'Are you afraid that, maybe, I am right?'_

"Ah! Arrogant bastard! I really hate him!"

_'That I can really make you snap?'_

_'Why don't you just give up as early as now?'_

Still leaning on the trunk, Karin closed her eyes. She tried to empty her mind.

_'Do you really think it is only a joke for me?'_

A joke. Sure, it was. It was a very horrible joke.

_'I am serious about you.'_

_'I like you.'_

She frowned.

_'I like you.'_

"So much for getting even. This isn't funny, anymore."

She was totally aware that a new chase-game was just about to start.

**...**

**.**

**A/N: So I could just only hope that you enjoyed it.**

**Chapter 10: ****Hard to Get **** ( -hint-hint- , 'course, where's the fun if I am just gonna make everything easy for the two? ;P )**

**Please review. ;)**


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